Marry Me
by icthestrals
Summary: Draco Malfoy has proposed six times to Ginevra Weasley. How did it get to this and what will happen the seventh time?
1. The Meeting

A/N: Do not own HP. Thanks to my Beta, Selena.

* * *

**Marry Me**

**The Meeting**

* * *

"Marry me." His eyes looked at her coldly, and for the briefest moment, she thought that she deserved a little more romance than that, until she remembered that she had had quite a bit more romance from the blond man looming in front of her. And then she felt the shame that she had thought was behind her. She knew that she had brought him to this.

Draco Malfoy had burst into the bedroom that he had been sharing for two years with Ginny Weasley. She was sitting quietly on their bed, still in her nightgown. He had spent a very restless night on the sofa and was not in a good mood.

"Ginevra, I mean it. Either you marry me or," he paused and brushed his hand through his dishevelled hair, "or I think we are finished."

He dropped his arm and stared into her eyes. Anyone else would have only seen the anger in those pale grey eyes, but Ginny knew him better and could also see the hurt. What she didn't see was fear, and for the first time, she realized that he was serious, that he was prepared to finally leave her. She loved Draco with all her heart, and as she held his gaze, she felt her eyes fill with tears. There he stood, this man who had loved her through everything, who had been there for her when no one else was, who had fulfilled the deepest desires of her heart. She felt like such a fool. Was she really so stupid that she would ever let go of him? She felt a flutter in her stomach and knew what she had to do.

Seeing her tears, he braced himself for the final rejection. He was starting to second-guess his decision, but then he remembered that this was the _seventh_ time he had proposed to this woman. Clearly, she did not love him enough to marry him. She had accepted someone else's proposal, but never his. Maybe she had never really accepted _him_. He felt a wave of heartbreak that was all too familiar, and it strengthened his resolve to end this terrible cycle of love and rejection. He knew this was the moment. This would be the last time he would ask, and possibly the last time he would speak to Ginny.

* * *

Draco Abraxas Malfoy was a very obedient little boy. He had sat quietly for the last hour, outside his father's office, waiting patiently for his father to be finished with business. Today was the day that his father promised to take him to his first professional Quidditch game. He understood perfectly that if he were to cause any trouble, he would most likely be sent to the Parkinsons' house to join his mother. _Anything_ would be better than having to play with their obnoxious daughter, and behaving for a few hours would be well worth it when they made it to the Quidditch pitch.

Lucius Malfoy's secretary, a young and pretty witch, had given Draco some quills and parchment on which to draw. He was happily drawing pictures of ferocious dragons when he heard a tinkling laugh, followed by a sweet little voice singing one of his favourite songs.

"And down to the ground flew the golden snitch, and the Seekers raced behind all across the pitch."

Ginevra Molly Weasley was the delight of her family. Being the youngest of seven and the only girl had afforded her the luxury of attention whenever she wanted it and safety in numbers when she misbehaved. At five, she was already showing signs of the twins' influence with her mischievous pranks, Percy's influence with her quick mind, Ron's influence in temper with her screaming, and her eldest two brothers' influence (or at least their girlfriends' influence) with the way she knew how to flirt and pout until she got her way. Arthur Weasley had given in to such pouting after several weeks of her begging to accompany him to work.

Draco looked up to see a bouncing, skipping (somehow she was doing both) redheaded little girl holding hands with a tall redheaded man, who he assumed was her father. She was giggling and laughing after having just finished the little Quidditch song his mother had taught him. They were slowly (for bouncing while skipping impedes much forward motion) making their way towards his father's office. He slid down into his seat, so he could better observe the little girl from behind the secretary's desk.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Ginny beamed up at her father.

"Yes, pumpkin. Do you need to use the loo?" Arthur crouched down to his daughter's level. "If you do, the nice secretary will take you. I have an important meeting right now, and I need you to stay out here with…" He looked to the pretty brunette.

"Miss Pritchard." She smiled warmly at the little girl.

"Miss Pritchard will help you with anything you need." He started to pat her head and rise when she grabbed his robe.

"No, Daddy. I want to play with that little boy." She pointed behind him. "Can I, pleeeease?"

Arthur looked around the secretary and discovered a miniature Lucius Malfoy staring back at him with wide, grey eyes. "Ginny, I need you stay here with Miss Pritchard. Maybe she can give you some parchment and quills to draw with too." He looked briefly again at Draco before standing up, gently moving Ginny to a chair, and turning towards the elder Malfoy.

Lucius Malfoy had stepped out of his office and observed Arthur Weasley talking to what appeared to be the smallest in his litter. Apparently, the blood-traitor had finally had a little girl; either that, or they had decided to make their youngest look like a girl, with long curly red hair. He was standing at his door, sneering, when he saw the little brat pointing her dirty finger at his son. Before he could make a comment, he saw two things happening that he did not like. First, his son was cowering in his seat looking afraid of the little witch. Second, Weasley was taking his daughter to the seat furthest from Draco, as if _he_ were the one infested with doxies.

"So good of you to finally make your appointment, Weasley," he drawled. Lucius looked down his nose at the bent-over man, settling his daughter in the chair.

"Yes, I have been dealing with a small child today. You can certainly understand, I see."

Arthur knew that Lucius would not understand but felt he had to at least try to be nice in front of Ginny. "Girls, I am learning, require much more attention than the boys."

Lucius smirked (so it _is_ a girl) and said, "So I take it your collection is complete, then?" And with that snide remark, he turned on his heel. "Let's get this meeting started," he ordered and returned into his office.

Draco and Ginny had not really paid any attention to their fathers' conversation. They were too busy looking quickly at each other and then turning back to their papers. After five minutes of quietly drawing, Ginny was bored and really wanted to play with the little boy seated close by.

"My name's Ginny. What's yours?" She had hopped down off the chair her father placed her in and started climbing into the one next to him.

"Draco Malfoy." He looked at her curiously. He had never seen a little girl in boy's clothing before. Her hair was long and curly with a purple ribbon in it, and she had a small dragon scale on a string of leather hanging around her neck. "Is that real? I love dragons. I am named after them, you know. Where did you get that?" He was pointing to her chest.

She looked down and up and then smiled very proudly at him. "It's my early birthday present from my brother Charlie. He's going to be a dragon trainer one day. I wasn't supposed to find it, but I did when I sneaked into his and Bill's room." She gave him an impish grin.

He was amazed at her bravery; he would never sneak into his parents' room. "Wow! I have a dragon's tooth in my room. My birthday is coming up, too. I will be seven. And I will get a new broom that goes really high and lots faster."

"I'm going to be six. I won't get a broom probably ever cuz we have so many already." She looked very disappointed about this.

He looked strangely at her, trying to imagine having so many brooms that you would never need another one. "You want to see my drawing? I've been drawing dragons." He scooted his chair over to hers and handed her his parchment.

Her eyes lit up as she looked at the dragons, and she handed him her drawings. "These are really good, Draco. Can I keep one?" She had tilted her head down and looked up at him through her long lashes.

Draco thought she looked funny, but he liked it. So he picked his favourite one and told her to keep it. "You must really like Quidditch. All your pictures are of people flying. And they all have red hair."

"I want to play on a team some day! Oh, and thank you for the picture!" She squealed and began bouncing in her chair. Then she jumped up and hugged him.

"Erm, it's okay. I have lots of better ones at home."

Suddenly, a loud noise of something breaking sounded from within the office where their fathers were meeting. Two frightened pairs of large eyes looked to the doors, when Miss Pritchard stepped in front of them.

"There's a sandwich trolley down the first hall to the right when you get back to the lifts. Why don't the two of you go get a snack? Here's a couple of galleons. Run along now." She handed the coins to Draco and ushered them quickly down the hall.

"Yay! We get to go on an adventure!" Ginny began her strange little bouncy walk down the hall, stuffing the picture Draco had given her into her pocket. She looked back at him, noticing that he was walking very rigidly. "Hey! Come on, we can do whatever we want now!"

"Whatever we want?" He stopped walking and furrowed his brows.

"Of course, silly. Miss Pritchard didn't tell us to come back. She didn't even say that we _had_ to get a snack. Fred and George says that if an adult doesn't tell you zactly what _not_ do to, you can do it." She grinned at him as she bounced on her toes.

Draco was pretty sure that he would still get in trouble if he did everything he hadn't been told not to do. He had never taken his mother's perfume, but he was sure that she would _not be_ okay with that. "I've never heard that. Who's Fred and George?"

"My twin brothers. They are wicked smart." She looked really impressed with her brothers so he decided to follow her lead; he could always blame her if their fathers caught them.

After running down the hall to the lifts, the two stopped and looked around. There were many different halls that they could choose to explore. There were also a lot of busy-looking witches and wizards bustling around, carrying papers and other magical objects.

"Ginny, what's 'wicked smart' mean?"

"Um, Bill says something is wicked when he really, really likes it. So I guess that means they are really, really smart. My mum calls them wicked all the time." She gave him a toothy grin then grabbed his hand saying, "Let's go this way!"

The two children played in the halls for several minutes, carefully avoiding the one from which they came, and drawing much attention from the wizards and witches that were trying to work. Most of the Ministry employees simply ignored the children, recognizing the Malfoy heir (or sometimes hair), and knew better than to interfere with anything involving Lucius Malfoy. A few would glare in their direction, but the happy little pair did not even notice the negative attention as they were playing games and chatting noisily.

Eventually, however, an older witch approached the two as they were racing across the lobby. "You two need to stop creating such a ruckus! This is a business, not a playground for the two of you. _Where_ are your parents?" She pointed her finger in their faces as she reprimanded them.

Draco puffed his chest out, stood as tall as his little frame could make him, and coldly stated, "I am Draco Malfoy, and I have permission to be out here. Our fathers are in the office, and my father would not like you speaking to us in that manner."

The woman's eyes widened, and then she looked peeved and sneered before turning and heading quickly back to her own office.

"Wow! Draco, that was brill! How'd you do that? How did you get her to be so afraid of you?" Ginny had taken his hand and was looking up into his face with much admiration.

"I just acted like Father does. It always works for him, too." He looked at her smugly, and she blushed prettily.

"I am going to kiss you, Ginny." He was feeling very manly at the moment, having saved them from the old witch, and it seemed like the right thing to do.

She smiled shyly at him and did that tilting head thing again. "Okay, but we have to get married first."

"Married?" He made a face as if he just ate something gross.

"Yes, only mummies and daddies get to kiss, Draco." She sounded as if he should have known this bit of information, and then she batted her long lashes at him.

He felt his face burn with embarrassment, but he didn't know why it was happening. "Erm, okay, Ginny – "

"You have to ask me, Draco!" She stepped away from him and took her hand back. And then suddenly, she lifted the necklace from her head and handed it to him. "Here, you can give me this after you ask since we don't have a ring."

"You're weird, Ginny. But, okay." He took the dragon scale in his hand, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Will you marry me?"

"NO, but I will kiss you!"

And before he knew what had happened, she had leaned forward and quickly pecked his lips. She started giggling again and turned around, running back to his father's office. Her father was heading towards them, and he scooped her up, taking her to the nearest lift. Draco stood in the lobby, still holding onto the dragon scale, and watched the little redhead wave goodbye.

* * *

A/N: This will be in seven parts. One for each proposal. It started out very fluffy, but I am finding it difficult to keep it that way. Tell me what you think.


	2. The Freudian Slip

Normal Disclaimer. Thanks to my Beta, Selena!

* * *

**Marry Me**

**The Freudian Slip**

* * *

Several years went by, and the almost bride and groom had nearly forgotten about their meeting at the Ministry of Magic. The dragon picture that had been hung by Ginny's bed was eventually tucked away in a book, and the dragon scale necklace that Draco had periodically worn was hidden away in a drawer. Many lessons were learned about the others' families during this time. Both were taught either to dislike or disrespect the other, and both moved on to new friends and eventually new crushes.

It wasn't until the winter of Draco's fourth year that he even realized who Ginny (now the Weaselette) was to him. He had, of course, never forgotten his first kiss, but the details of her name and face had faded with time. One cold day, about a week before the Yule Ball, he was walking around outside in the snow when he came across a group of students having a snowball fight. He noticed the red hair of the youngest Weasley straight away and was watching her (as he sometimes found himself doing) whilst he strolled around the lake. When he saw a dark-haired boy helping her up from the snow, he at first thought it was Potty and was ready to yell out some scathing remark. Just as he opened his mouth to send his verbal assault, the boy turned, revealing his Ravenclaw jumper, and Draco felt himself frown. But when the Weaselette leaned up on her toes, pecked the boy on the cheek, and ran off giggling, that's when he remembered. He remembered, and for some strange reason, he became very angry.

Stomping back through the snow directly towards the castle, Draco began plotting his revenge on the unsuspecting girl. He didn't really understand what had upset him so much. He knew he should have been repulsed by the knowledge that a Weasley had kissed him, but he couldn't shake the happy if faded memory from that day at the Ministry. He also didn't really want to explore the reasons for his anger, briefly recognizing that jealousy was part of it. So he decided to have fun with this new bit of old knowledge, for clearly the Weaselette had not remembered either.

He scowled as he sat down at his desk. He wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to do, but he knew he wanted to embarrass her. Glancing down at his latest letter from his mother, he thought of a plan. The only problem was that he didn't know the girl's first name, and try as he might, he could not remember it from the day at the Ministry. When Blaise Zabini entered their room, Draco's face lit up with an evil smile.

"Blaise, do you know anything about that Weasley girl?" His voice was dripping with maliciousness.

Anyone else would have thought that Draco was up to no good (which he was), but Blaise had noticed Draco staring at the youngest Weasley during their study session at the library _and_ at dinner the week before. "What do you want to know, Draco?"

"Oh, just her first name. I am planning a little fun for this week, starting with sending her some mysterious letters and ending with humiliating her at the Yule Ball."

"She's a third year, which means she _won't_ be at the ball, unless _you_ are inviting her in these so-called mysterious letters." He looked at Draco with raised eyebrows.

"Not likely. If you must know, I will be sending her anonymous love letters and asking her to meet me at the ball to reveal my identity."

"And this accomplishes humiliation in the form of… flirtation? I think Pansy has messed with your head. Most girls would love to have some kind of secret admirer. She will be thrilled to have someone notice her."

"No, you stupid prat, she will be _humiliated_ when she shows up in her pretty little dress robes, and I am there with Pansy laughing in her face. And Pansy has _not_ messed with my head. I am in complete control of our arrangement."

"Right," he said sarcastically, "that's why you always have to put up with her whinging just so she will snog you. Trust me, mate. There's way less painful ways to get some action than that. So, I take it you need this name soon, then?" Blaise knew better than to keep pushing his arrogant friend. If he knew anything about Draco, it was that he did not think clearly when it came to the Weasleys.

Draco did not have to wait long for Blaise to get the girl's first name. That evening at dinner, Blaise had simply walked right up to her blond friend, Loony Something, and asked. Draco was always a little envious of his friend's ability to talk with girls. He knew that was partly why he stayed with Pansy; with her, he didn't have to do anything but exist.

* * *

**Dear Ginny**

**I have been watching you for weeks and wanted to let you know that I really like you.**

**Your Secret Admirer**

* * *

"So, I see you are starting with the truth, then," Blaise chuckled as he leaned over Draco's shoulder reading the first letter.

"What?" Draco cranked his neck back quickly and glared up at his roommate.

"Just kidding, Draco. Are you sending it out tonight?" At which Draco grabbed the letter and stormed out of the room.

The next morning the two Slytherins watched anxiously as the owl swooped down in front of the small redhead. They both then laughed at the exchange happening at the Gryffindor table.

"What's that, Gin?" Ron Weasley had noticed his little sister blushing to the roots of her hair as she read and reread the letter in her hands.

"None of your business!" She glared at her brother before quickly stuffing the letter in her bag. When she looked back up, she noticed that all three of the Golden Trio were staring at her. "What?"

Hermione Granger was looking at her with concern written on her face. "Ginny, is someone bothering you? You can tell us. We only want to help you."

"Yeah, Gin. Lemme see that letter!" Ron started reaching across to her bag when she smacked his hand away.

"Ron! Go back to your food and let me be. No one is bothering me, and it is none of your business what happens in my personal life." She placed the bag on her other side before turning back to her food.

"Personal life? You don't have a personal life. What are you up to? Are you scheming with Fred and George again?"

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "Hermione, will you please get my stupid brother to leave me alone?" She looked at her friend with a subtle glance that indicated more information would come later.

"Ron, leave her alone. And how can you say that Ginny doesn't have her own life? What do you think she does when we aren't with her? Sit in the common room and wait for us? Honestly!" Hermione always could control Ron. She gave Ginny a quick smile and then started up another topic of conversation.

Ginny felt eyes on her, looked over, and saw Harry Potter still staring at her as if she were a potions experiment. "Do you think he's right? That I have no life?" she yelled at the surprised boy. "Well, for your information, Harry – I do." With that, she grabbed her bag and stormed out of the Great Hall.

Ginny confided in Hermione later that night about the letter, but not before swearing her to secrecy. Hermione thought that it was very exciting and romantic, but then warned her not to meet the Secret Admirer without someone with her.

The first letter had produced results even better than Draco had hoped, and he couldn't wait to see her open the next letter. He had loved watching her flush with excitement and then yell at her brother. Best of all was when she turned her anger on Pothead.

* * *

**Dear Ginny **

**I wish I were brave enough to talk to you in person. Would it bother you if I were from a different house? If it doesn't, sit at the Ravenclaw table with your friend. **

**Your Secret Admirer**

* * *

After receiving the second letter, she controlled her blush as much as she could, grabbed a roll from the table, and left the Great Hall. She refused to have a repeat performance of the day before. During her free hours, she found Luna sitting by herself at one of the third floor windows.

"Luna! Can I sit with you tonight during dinner?" Ginny came running up to her friend, noticing that she was missing a shoe.

Luna turned her large blue eyes to her one true friend. "Are you going to be eating with me, too?"

"Of course, silly. But I have so much to tell you! I have received two letters from a Secret Admirer!"

"How do you know they are real?"

"Well, I think I might know who it is. I think it is Michael Corner." Ginny had whispered the last part and peered around nervously in case someone could have heard her admission.

"Is that why you want to sit with me, Ginny? I don't mind if that's why." Luna smiled sweetly at her and scooted over on the window seat for Ginny to join her.

"NO, well, um yes, but I will sit with you whenever you want, Luna. You are my best friend." Ginny hugged the Ravenclaw and then showed her the letters.

"This _could_ be from Michael since he asked for you to sit at our table, but I don't know why he wouldn't use my name." She shrugged as she handed the letter back to Ginny.

That night at dinner, Draco couldn't resist bumping into Ginny as she made her way to her seat at the Ravenclaw table.

"You lost, Weaselette? Or have you finally realized that you want to get out of that wretched house of yours?"

"Are you confused, Malfoy? Last time I checked the only wretched thing I see is your face. And for your information, I actually have friends in other houses, unlike some people who only have lackeys that their daddy has paid to act as friends."

He was quite shocked that she had responded at all, and was both angry and impressed by her quick retort. He sneered at her and then made his way over to his seat, ignoring the smirk on Blaise's face as he sat down. "Shut it."

"I didn't say anything. And I am offended; I stopped receiving payment from your father last year."

* * *

**Dear Ginny**

**I am so glad you sat at the Ravenclaw table. It made it much easier for me to admire your beautiful red hair and lovely amber eyes. If you are interested in meeting me, leave me a letter behind the statue by the painting of the one-handed man. **

**Your Secret Admirer**

* * *

Blaise sat on Draco's bed reading the letter. "Lovely amber eyes?" When he finished reading, he had thrown Draco's pillow at him and started laughing.

"What? Her eyes are a bright brown, especially when she's angry."

Draco appeared so serious at that moment, Blaise could not bring himself to inform his friend that the contents of these letters seemed all too real.

Luna was sitting with Ginny at dinner the next evening, and Ginny was leaning into her friend telling her the latest development. "This morning after I got the letter, I looked over at Michael," Ginny said whispering his name, "and he was looking at me, too. Well, it took a few minutes of me staring, but he did eventually look up."

"I don't think that counts, Ginny," Luna said very seriously.

"No, probably not, but then he smiled really sweetly as he looked me right in the eyes. It has to be him, Luna! So I left the letter at the statue after lunch. Will you please watch Michael and see if he's reading anything tonight? I charmed the parchment pale blue so it should be easy to spot."

"Sure, but I may have to find my socks first. I only have one pair left. And he is in the library on the night of the full moon."

"Are you speaking in code again?"

Luna glanced at Ginny curiously (something usually happening the other way around) and pointed out the nearest window, "No, there's a full moon tonight, and the fourth years are studying the effect of the moon phases in Divination."

Draco sat in the back of the library, hidden behind several bookshelves, reading over the piece of blue parchment. This girl fascinated him. He hadn't originally planned on learning more about Ginny (he meant to think Weaselette, really he did), but it was surprisingly interesting. In her letter, she had talked about her favourite subjects and asked him what he liked to do for fun. He quickly grabbed some parchment and wrote the next letter. Since he was tired of Blaise commenting on them, he had no plans of sharing any more of the letters with him.

Being hidden away in the back of the library, Draco had no idea what was happening in the front where Ginny and Hermione were seated three tables over from Michael and his friends. Ginny had glanced up at Michael several times since they had arrived and had twice found his eyes on her.

"Ginny, you must pay closer attention if you are going to get this right." Hermione rolled her eyes at the redhead. "Is he looking again?"

"No, and I don't see my parchment. You'd think he would let me see it so I know for sure it's him." Ginny sighed and returned to her textbook.

"Maybe he's enjoying this too much to end it yet. His letters are getting more interesting, and I think he likes getting to know you anonymously. For whatever reason, he's not ready to make this public. And don't tell me you're not enjoying it, too." She smiled warmly at Ginny and then continued writing her essay.

Ginny excitedly opened the next letter, and after reading it, she squealed and immediately handed the letter to Hermione. They sat huddled together, giggling throughout the rest of the meal, quietly discussing what was happening. She did notice Harry watching her again, but she chose to ignore him and what that could mean. Instead, she began looking at Michael.

* * *

**Dear Ginny **

**Thank you for your letter. You can be very funny. I didn't know that about you. I also had no idea that you loved potions. It's my best subject. I know Professor Snape can be difficult, probably even more for you since you are in Gryffindor, but I think he is wicked smart when it comes to potions.**

**I love playing Quidditch. I think I am pretty good, but I can't tell you what position I play – that would make it too easy for you to know who I am. I also really like to play Wizard's Chess. I am pretty good at it, and I haven't been beaten yet. Maybe we could play sometime.**

**You can leave me another letter tonight. **

**Your Secret Admirer**

**p.s. I think you should definitely try out for your Quidditch team next year, who cares what your brother thinks.**

* * *

Draco was smiling as he watched the two Gryffindor girls pouring over his letter. When Blaise caught his eye from down the table and smirked at him, he grabbed his books and quickly left the hall.

"Luna! Wait up," Ginny called after her friend just before lunch. When Luna paused, Ginny quickly grabbed her and moved them to a broom closet. "Does Michael play chess?"

"Ginny, why are we in a broom closet? And yes, I think he does. I have seen him playing in the common room. All Ravenclaws like to play games that challenge your mind and work on analytical thinking. I try to get them to play Bermshickle, but no else seems to like it."

"What is….never mind. That's great! He told me he loves to play and said maybe we could play together sometime! I think he's going to ask to meet me really soon! And he has smiled at me five times this week. Three times at meals, once in the library last night, and once if you count the time I ran into him accidentally-on-purpose yesterday and he picked up my books."

Draco sat down at breakfast and watched Ginny open his letter. She had talked a lot about her family in her letter, and she had made some very funny comments on Professor Snape. He was happy that she never once mentioned Scarhead. He couldn't help but notice that he wasn't feeling as excited as he thought he would be about his plan coming to an end. Before he could examine the reasons for his unease, Pansy had practically sat on his lap and began chattering about the ball.

* * *

**Dear Ginny **

**This is my last letter. Reading your last letter made me realize that I want to get to know you better in person. I really like you, a lot. I know you are a third year, but the Yule Ball is tomorrow night and I am going. I will meet you at the door at 8:00. I can't wait to see you.**

**Your Secret Admirer**

* * *

"How's the love letter business going?" Blaise sat down next to Draco at dinner that evening. "Have you given up this little plan of yours or have you finally _given in_ to your real feelings?"

Draco practically choked on the pumpkin juice he was drinking. "Real feelings? I told you that this was all about humiliating the little Weasel. That's all. Nothing more. I don't know why you insist on saying things like that."

"Fine, Draco. You only want to humiliate her. But you have never said _why_ you want to humiliate the girl. What did she do?"

"She, just, she thinks that she's special."

Ginny was ecstatic all day leading up to the ball. She only wished that she had a better dress. She had already been asked by Neville and nearly asked by Harry. She was really disappointed about that, but the thoughts of meeting her SA (that's what she called him) quickly made her forget about Harry. She also had made it clear to Neville that they were just friends, so she wasn't worried about upsetting him.

Neville had been a great friend and didn't mind at all about her meeting with someone else, as long as she left with him. She had seen Michael across the room, and he had nodded his head towards the punch bowl. She was a little confused so she pulled the last letter out of her purse and rechecked it for the location.

Draco had been having a horrible evening. Pansy was driving him crazy, and Blaise was constantly pointing out that Ginny was having a great time with Neville Longbottom. He couldn't believe that she had come with a date! How dare she have a date whilst they were writing each other! (Never mind that these letters were supposedly fake and that he too had a date.) He was fuming by the time 8:00 rolled around. He was more convinced than ever that she deserved to be embarrassed. He saw her start to leave Longbottom's side and head towards the door, letter in hand. He started to go to her when something even worse happened.

"Hi, Ginny." Michael handed her a cup of punch and smiled widely.

"Hi, Michael, thanks," she said shyly and blushed as she took the punch. "Um, I thought you wanted to meet at the door."

"I did?" He looked at her strangely, but then smiled again so she wouldn't be embarrassed and run off.

"Yeah, here in the letter, see." She handed him the letter.

Michael _was definitely_ a Ravenclaw, and it took him only a few seconds to piece it all together - the letter, Ginny's glances all week, Luna spying on him in the common room. "Um Ginny, I didn't write this. I'm sorry, but I think someone thought you would show up and not be able to get in. But I'm glad that they did, cuz I _do_ like you and would like to go out sometime. And I promise to sign all my letters." He winked at her.

"Um….I am _so _embarrassed. But I obviously… I like you, too. Sooo, I look forward to a real letter." She was really upset, but she kept it together and gave him a winning smile before he walked away.

Draco had lost all ability to think rationally once he saw Ginny take the letter out and hand it to Michael bloody Corner. As soon as the stupid git winked - WINKED - at her, he began storming over to them, arriving just after Corner had left. He grabbed the letter from her hands, pretended to be reading it, and sneered at the upset girl.

"Wow, Weasley! Did you write yourself a fake love letter? _I think I love you! I want to be with you forever! Will you marry me so we can have loads of children we can't afford?"_

She looked like she was going to cry, and Draco realized that he had maybe pushed the joke too far, but then she surprised him yet again. Ginny found her strength, stopped her tears from falling, and glared at Draco. "It doesn't say that, and I would **never** marry you!"

"I didn't – "

"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me? Oh that's right, you're here with Parkinson. I guess I would be looking for a way to get kicked out, too. Lucky for you, I don't care about that stupid letter. It's just a joke." She smirked at him, actually smirked at him, and headed back over to dance with Longbottom.

Three days later at dinner, Draco bumped into Ginny again on the way to his seat. He didn't say anything to her, and he kept walking until he felt a hand on his arm. For the briefest moment, he thought it might be her, but when he turned around, he came face to face with a very conceited-looking Michael Corner.

"Thanks for those letters, Malfoy. I would have never known that Ginny really liked me without them. Don't worry, your _secret_ is safe with me." Michael Corner grinned back at him as he caught up with Ginny placing his hand on her back.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to those that have reviewed and those who have read. I really do appreciate the positive feedback. Beta'd by Selena. Thank you!

As I said before, this fic is becoming less fluffy as I write, so I am warning you ahead of time. I am trying to keep some humour in it, though. I guess that is what happens when your characters grow up during war.


	3. The Ultimatum

A/N: I warned that things were getting less fluffy, and that remains true.

Draco and Ginny are growing up, and as much as I thought this piece would be more humorous, it's just not. I am trying to keep some comic relief, so I hope you enjoy.

**

* * *

**

Marry Me

**The Ultimatum**

* * *

The next few years brought great change to the secret pen pals. When Draco had sent his first letter to Ginny, his biggest concerns were beating Granger in class and keeping his father happy. Only a few months later, his family life would take a much darker turn, and within the next year, his father would be imprisoned after the Ministry Battle in which Ginny would take part. Draco would only come face to face with her once more, when she sent an impressive hex his way at the end of his fifth year. He still would find himself watching her, but he always kept his distance. He had never forgotten about the letters, and Blaise had never forgotten to remind him of their significance. Eventually his attentions were redirected, for Draco would also be faced with a task considered impossible by most and with stakes set too high for any young wizard or witch.

"I heard Potter broke up with her at _his_ funeral." Blaise spoke quietly, under his voice, as he leaned over toward Draco at dinner. They had been back in school for about a week into their seventh year. Even the Slytherins were being careful with their words and actions, now that the Carrows had taken charge. Blaise glanced discreetly to his right noticing the twitch in Draco's set jaw.

The blond didn't even look towards his only real friend. Instead, he continued to stare at the redhead Gryffindor across the hall.

Blaise coughed slightly and then added, "Are you trying to get her in trouble again? Because if Pansy sees this, she'll tear her apart."

Draco slid his eyes to his left and said with a cold edge to his voice, "Pansy can go to hell. And she won't do a damned thing; she has her eyes set on someone else."

Blaise looked down the table to see Pansy sitting on the lap of Theodore Nott, laughing loudly as she swatted at his chest. The only sounds in the hall were coming from their table, the other houses choosing to stay quiet in order to avoid attention. "I see. I still think that she won't like you having moved on to anyone else, especially _her_."

"Since it is none of her or your bloody business what I do, than I will do whatever I want. If I want to fucking take her on the head table in front of the whole fucking hall, then I will." At this, Draco stood up and quietly left the hall. No one noticed his exit except for Blaise, who watched him leave with a scowl on his face.

Draco Malfoy, Prince of the Death Eaters, had become somewhat of an enigma at Hogwarts. It hadn't taken long for the children of the other Death Eaters to learn of Draco's failure to kill Albus Dumbledore, but they also knew that he did indeed bear the Mark of the Dark Lord. Even more, they knew that he had been able to get the Death Eaters into the school underneath their former Headmaster's watchful eye. His housemates had returned to school ready to taunt him, but they were also unsure how much sway he still had within the Dark Lord's inner circle. While most of the school simply avoided him altogether, his fellow seventh year Slytherins let him know on the first night back at school that they would not be serving the youngest Death Eater. He had lost his two sidekicks, which he didn't really mind, and he had lost his on-and-off again girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson. She had made it perfectly clear that she planned on being "royalty" once this war was over and that he and his family would never be good enough for her.

Several weeks went by without another word between the two handsome Slytherins regarding the youngest Weasley. Draco had stopped watching her at meals and seemed to have retreated even more into himself. He was Head Boy and had his own room, which afforded him all the privacy he could want. He rarely spoke to anyone, including Blaise, except for during classes.

It was late one night as he was doing his rounds that the near-silence between the two friends ended. Draco was wandering around the fifth floor, feeling as if it were a complete waste of his time to be on patrol, when he heard the telltale signs of students fooling around in a classroom.

"Listen, you both know that you are not supposed to be out past curfew, and if I were to call the Car – " Draco had stopped speaking when he realized who the two students were that had clearly been engaged in some heavy snogging.

"Draco, it's not what it looks like." Blaise had stood up in front of the girl as she buttoned up her blouse. He started walking towards his friend when Draco darted his cold gaze at him. He looked murderous, and for a moment, Blaise thought that he might actually call for the Carrows.

Draco was seeing red. Red hair and a red face peered out behind his former best mate. Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment and then softened as she tried to read his face. It was about that time that he realized Blaise was walking towards him. He looked to Blaise and spoke quietly, "It's fine. We could all use an easy distraction right now. Finish her and then come straight back to the dungeons. The Carrows have been aching for something like this." He turned quickly and stormed down the hall, his robes billowing behind him.

During her third year, Ginny Weasley's Secret Admirer had unknowingly brought her a new boyfriend, and she quickly forgot about the unknown person who had tried to embarrass her. As she was getting to know Michael better, she had also been able to forget about Harry. She had thought that her feelings for Harry were becoming completely platonic - until she saw him holding Cedric Diggory's lifeless body at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. She wanted nothing more than to be the one to comfort him. When she fought at the Ministry at the end of the next school year, her Bat-Bogey Hex on Draco Malfoy was of little concern to her, especially compared to being next to and helping Harry. As the grim reality of Voldemort's return settled in, she found herself becoming closer to Harry than she had ever been before, and when he finally kissed her, she promised herself that she would never let him go. When he left her to follow his destiny, she felt betrayed. She had been willing to give him everything, and he only wanted her to stay behind. She entered her sixth year feeling angry, hurt, and rejected, and she was more than ready to be a little rebellious.

Ginny sat back down on the desk she had been on a few minutes before. She hung her head down low and started to cry. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I love _Harry_. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

Blaise gave her a smirk and said, "Why, because I am going to snog you to death? Look Ginny, no Mark. I don't want to have anything to do with that mad man. But I am not going to continue this thing between us, either. I like you, I really do, but this isn't working."

She looked up at him suddenly, "You don't want me either! I thought we were becoming friends."

"We _are_ friends. That is why when my _friend_ is crying about her ex-boyfriend, just after she made out with the hottest guy in school, I know she's not over the ex and clearly not into the really sexy Slytherin she's been sneaking around with. Plus, the fact that you just asked if we were _friends_, not dating, or boyfriend/girlfriend, or anything more." He walked up to her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Blaise. I'm just so lonely. Luna's great and Neville too, but they just don't understand me. I don't want to talk about Harry all the time. He didn't tell me _anything_. He just left." She let out an exasperated breath and then looked him in the eyes. "I think I've been using you as a distraction, and I'm sorry. I really do like you, too, as a friend. I wish it were more because then I really could just forget about everything else for a while."

"How very Slytherin of you, Ginny. Using me for sex and a distraction from the rest of your life. I mean, we _can _use each other for sex. That's not off the table. I _am open_ to any kind of friends with benefits relationship you have in mind." He had started to lean into her neck when she gently pushed him away.

"Yes, but I'm still a Gryffindor, and we don't do that." She smiled at him sweetly and then pecked him on the cheek. "You will still hang out with me sometimes, right?"

"Well, I think you may be the only person left in the entire school who will hang out with me, Red. After all, my best mate is never going to speak to me again."

She gave him a funny look to which he replied, "Come on, even you could see how jealous he was. Don't look so shocked - you're not that innocent. I know you have seen him watching you before, and I know you saw it just now. Speaking of which, we should get you back to the tower so I can go and beg forgiveness."

"You act like he's in love with me. He doesn't even know me. In fact, other than my brilliant hex on him and a few of his pathetic taunts, we've never even spoken to each other." With that, she hopped down, grabbed her robe from a nearby chair, and headed towards the door. Blaise watched her leaving and chose not to reveal any more than he already had about Draco's unrequited love.

After Blaise made sure Ginny was safely returned to Gryffindor, he proceeded to Draco's room. He had been knocking on the door for several minutes. "I know you are still up and pacing around your room, ready to kill me. Let me in, and let's have it over with already."

Draco wrenched the door open and had his wand drawn, pointing it into his housemate's eyes.

Blaise lifted his hands and said, "A bit dramatic, don't you think?" He then pushed past his friend and sat on the bed. "Draco? Do you want to know the truth or not?"

"Did you fuck the little whore?"

"You did tell me to go ahead, so yeah, I finished her." Blaise reclined comfortably on the bed and crossed his ankles.

Draco just stood still, breathing heavily, unsure of how to respond without killing his only friend.

Blaise laughed out loud and then sat up and said, "Are you so fucking blind with jealousy and dare I say it, _love_, that you honestly think that I, Blaise Zabini, would be done shagging that beautiful little redhead in under ten minutes?"

At that statement, Draco crossed the room quickly and plunged his wand into Blaise's throat. "I can't believe you! You know how…you know that…you kno – "

"Use your words, Draco." Thinking maybe he was pushing his friend too far, he quickly added, "**Nothing **happened after you left or has **ever **happened more than kissing… and… maybe a little fondling. _I swear_. And I gave you the chance to say something. I told you she was free. I tried to tell you that I had run into her, but you did _not_ want to talk about it. That could have been _you_ up there if you weren't so- "

"So what? So firmly planted in reality? It doesn't matter what I think I feel about her. The truth is that I don't really know her, and she does **not** want to know me."

"Yeah, well, she is lonely and confused. She just wants to feel wanted, and not left behind. Even _you_ could work with that." He smirked at the tall blond and then got up and left the room.

Over the next few weeks, it became clear that Ginny Weasley and her band of do-gooders were out to get themselves killed. They were hell-bent on showing the Carrows and Headmaster Snape that Dumbledore's Army was alive and well. Unfortunately, Ginny seemed to be the only one cunning enough to not get caught. After giving out the third detention in one week, Amycus Carrow decided that punishment could be used as a means of instruction, and he requested the future Death Eaters to participate in his new program, Curse and Torture Training. Draco, being a branded member, was included in these lessons.

As luck would have it, he was called upon to participate in the detention for Neville Longbottom. Although Longbottom had always annoyed him, he was not ready to begin his torturing career on the helpless student. He also couldn't shake the thought of what it would mean to Ginny to know that he had tormented one of her friends. So he leaned over Neville and whispered "go with it" before standing up and loudly insulting him and aiming his wand at him. He said the curse, but he chose to think of kissing Ginny instead of hurting Neville. Thankfully, Neville caught on and acted the part of victim rather well. (Draco almost rolled his eyes at that thought, but caught himself.)

Three days later, a pale white arm reached out from behind a tapestry and yanked him behind, immediately casting a Silencing Charm on him. His eyes filled with rage until a wand was lit, and the soft glow revealed Ginny Weasley staring up at him, eyes wide and round.

"Thank you. Neville told me what you did," she whispered. "Blaise is going to help us so we – or they, don't keep getting caught. Do you want in?"

He looked at her strangely; shocked she would even ask him such a thing.

"Harry told me about… about last year. I know you didn't, _couldn't_ do it. I know you don't want to be one of them. Help us." She looked at him imploringly and then with a small smile added, "Help _me_."

He closed his eyes. He knew manipulation when he saw it, and this little Weasley was working him. After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and motioned to his throat.

She lifted the spell and smiled sweetly at him, "So?"

"Alright. I will help you, but -" And before he could continue with his thought, she reached up and hugged him and then slipped out from behind the tapestry.

Over the next two months, Ginny started meeting with Blaise more regularly. Eventually, he started bringing Draco with him, and Ginny started bringing Luna. Draco had then decided they should meet in his room so there would be no concerns over being caught together. The two boys were very entertained by the feisty redhead and the surprisingly funny Ravenclaw. Luna seemed to be thoroughly enjoying getting to know Blaise, and Ginny loved being able to show her "dark" side more freely. Harry had always treated her like a glass doll, and she was enjoying being treated as not only an equal to the two boys, but also as a leader when it came to planning the DA's missions.

Winter break was going to start the next week, and Blaise's mother had requested that he return home. She did not actually write that he would not be returning, but Blaise understood her hidden message and informed the new little group of her plans. He was pretty sure that she was taking him into hiding until the end of the war.

Luna was sitting very close to Blaise during his announcement. "Will you come back when it's over?" Her large blue eyes looked at him curiously.

"Of course, Luna. I couldn't leave jolly old England without having been in your knickers." He winked at Ginny as he threw his arm around Luna.

It had become a bit of a joke that Blaise would be getting into Luna's pants at some point. One night during a DA mission, Luna had spilt paint all over her school skirt, and Blaise had offered her his trousers in exchange for her some day returning the favour. Luna, being Luna, replied that she would gladly return the favour, as that was the kind thing to do. Of course, the boys thought that she was being clueless to his intent while she and Ginny spent many nights discussing exactly what would happen when she did repay him.

Blaise noticed Ginny looking pensive and asked, "Will you be going home, Red?"

"No, my mum and dad have enough to worry about right now. I would just be in their way." She looked down and then glanced over at Draco who had sat quietly throughout their discussion. "What about you, Draco? I suppose you're not needed at home either…are you?"

"What? Oh, no. Thank Merlin. That monster has taken over our home, and Mother has convinced Father that I should enjoy my last holiday at school. But I may be called away at any moment. I hate it. I hate all of it." His face had flushed with anger, and Ginny reached out to touch his arm and gave him a small smile of encouragement.

By the time school resumed, Draco knew that he was, without a doubt, completely in love with Ginny Weasley. Not a fantasy version of her, but the real girl. They had spent almost every day of the break together. Ginny had wisely decided to put the DA missions on hold whilst many students were missing for the holidays, realizing that it would only narrow down the Carrows' hit list. Instead, she had continued going to Draco's room at night, and a couple of times she even stayed over, with Draco sleeping on his sofa and giving Ginny his bed. The two had become much closer than Ginny ever would have thought. After Luna and Blaise had left, she wasn't sure if she would be spending as much time with Draco, but with Neville gone as well, she found herself lonely. It wasn't long before she realized that she enjoyed being with Draco, and that although she had thought they would need Blaise as a buffer, they did not. While Blaise was witty and charming, she found she actually preferred Draco's sarcasm and dry sense of humour. She had noticed, by the end of the break, that they were becoming much more intimate in their friendship, not just physically with more small touches and hugs, but even more so emotionally, talking about much more serious topics and sharing much more personal things. It scared her a little bit, the last night of the break, when she realized that she hadn't thought of Harry for the past couple of days. Draco found himself struggling several times to not grab her and kiss her while they were in his room, and he was surprised to be looking forward to Luna's return and subsequent disruption to his temptations.

By the second night after the break, Ginny was starting to panic. Luna had yet to show up to school, and that afternoon she had heard a couple of students murmuring about a possible kidnapping. She looked across the hall at Draco and gave him the sign that she wanted to meet with him later. He returned the go-ahead signal and dropped his head. He knew she was worrying about her friend because even he was starting to wonder what had happened to the quirky little Ravenclaw. There had been much talk amongst the Slytherins that she had been taken by Death Eaters.

That evening, Draco peered out of his door and motioned for Ginny to come into his room from her hiding place. "Pansy made an unexpected visit tonight. She just wanted me to know that she was completely over me." He smirked at her as she sat down on his bed.

"Well that's good since you have been madly in love with me all year," she teased. Ginny turned bright pink as soon as she said it, mentally cursing herself for being so stupid and tactless.

"Yeah, I don't think that she would want to hear that." He looked very uncomfortable, and he had stopped walking towards her when she had blurted out his deepest secret.

"Do you know anything about Luna?" she quickly started, trying to relieve him of his embarrassment, but also wanting to get to the point of this meeting.

"No, and I doubt I will hear anything from Blaise. He's probably not even been in Britain since the day we saw him. You think he took her with him?"

"As much as I'd love to believe that they finally admitted how much they like each other and ran off together," she sighed heavily, "Luna would never do that to her dad."

"Yeah, and Blaise isn't really the let's run away together type."

Unexpectedly, she started crying and pulled her knees up to her face, wrapping her arms around them. "What if they kill her?" She sobbed into her knees.

Before he could second-guess himself, he crossed to her and gathered her onto his lap. He started rocking her and rubbing her back, "They have no reason to do that. She will be fine. I promise you that if I can do anything to help her, I will."

She suddenly looked up at him and pleaded, "You can't go back to them, Draco! You can't be a part of his plans. Please, please don't go back there." She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him.

"Ginny, my mum is there. I can't leave her unprotected."

"You said your dad really loves her. He will protect her, Draco. Don't go. If you don't go back, then maybe they will come to our side, too." She was begging and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

He reached up and wiped her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers, "I don't think they can, Ginny. How could I even let them know what I was doing? You know the owls are being watched."

"We'll find a way." She had touched one of her hands to his cheek and then rested it against his chest.

"We?" He hated himself for sounding so desperate, so he poured all the love he felt for this girl into his eyes.

"Yes," and she kissed him. She kissed him _hard_, grabbing his head and holding him in place.

At first he was afraid to react, but then he pulled her closer and moved her legs so that she was straddling him. Their kisses grew more frenzied and soon became unsatisfying as their hands began to explore one another. After a few minutes, Draco had flipped her onto her back and was settled between her legs. The two were frantic in their touches, their hands ripping at each other's clothes. Draco grabbed his wand and performed the Contraceptive Charm with a shaky voice. He couldn't believe he was about to be with Ginny. He began kissing her again as he shrugged off his trousers and slowly worked the lacy knickers down her creamy legs. Ginny was on fire, and while a small voice in her head was screaming for her to slow down, a new and louder voice was begging for her to feel more and more and to get closer to Draco than she had ever been to another boy. She looked up into Draco's stormy eyes, and just as he was about to stop and say something, she interrupted him by shouting, "Please, Draco, now!"

Almost before he realized it, Draco was inside of her. He saw her eyes widen with surprise, and he forced himself to stop moving. He kissed her lips and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I ..I…" his breathing was laboured as he was struggling to not follow his instincts.

"Draco, it's okay. Start moving again." She looked up in his eyes and smiled. Inside, her mind was outraged. This was supposed to have been Harry! How would she ever face him again? But as soon as she started to think about Harry, Draco had found his rhythm, and all thoughts were replaced by the blond boy above her.

After only a few more minutes, Draco had sped up his thrusting and placed his hand between the two of them, touching Ginny and causing her to almost bolt upright with the explosion of her orgasm. He followed almost immediately after and then collapsed on top of her. He sighed into her neck, "I love you."

They lay very still for quite a while. Ginny thought it was a strange kind of comfort, feeling his weight on her and him still inside of her. It made it more real. It made it more than the whirlwind of hormones and emotions that had just happened. She hadn't replied to his declaration of love, and her mind was racing with confusion. She had just lost her virginity to Draco Malfoy. She wasn't even sure how to define her feelings for him, but she knew he scared her in a way that Harry never had.

Draco slowly rolled away from her and rested on his back. "I, um, thought it would last longer than that." He had noticed her lack of response to his earlier confession, but he chose to just act like he hadn't said anything.

"Aren't you the Slytherin Sex God?" She made a small little laugh. "I thought you were fast on purpose, you know, since it was my first time." She rolled to her side to look at him, and he rolled to face her as well with a funny grin on his face.

"Um, yeah, about that. That's really Blaise. He likes that I get the bad rep while he keeps getting laid. I, uh," he rolled back on his back and stared at the ceiling, "I never did _that_ before."

"What! You're a - _were_ a virgin? Sweet Merlin, we just lost our virginities together, I can't freakin' believe it." She also rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling.

"I guess it's only fitting." He laughed to himself. "You were my first kiss, too."

"What? When on earth did that happen?"

He looked over at her and answered, "I think you were five, and I was six. We were with our dads at – "

"The Ministry of Magic! I remember. I kissed _you_, but you did _not_ kiss me." At this, she had looked back at him and was smiling.

"Yeah, you ran away before I knew what had happened … Do you regret it? I swear I didn't plan this."

Her smile faded at his question. She knew immediately that he was not referring to the kiss. "Draco, I don't know what to think. I didn't really plan it, either. I think that I need to just kind of deal with it, okay? I better go." She sat up, and he mirrored her movement. They both sat awkwardly for a moment before she started to move.

Draco grabbed her hand, leaned forward, and kissed her briefly on the lips. "I don't regret it, Ginevra. We will do this however you want. I will always be your friend, but I don't regret this, and … I meant what I said." He did not break her gaze even when his pale face slightly coloured at the last part.

It was a week before Ginny returned to Draco's room. She had avoided him at all costs throughout the schooldays. She knew that she could easily fall in love with him, but she still refused to give up Harry. She had left his room in a daze, more confused than she had ever felt in her life. When she had been caught returning from Draco's room, Professor Snape marched her up to his office. It was whilst he was lecturing her on being careful with the decisions she was making that she saw the Sword of Gryffindor. Immediately, she thought of Harry, and after a moment of guilt, she determined to get the sword that Dumbledore had left to him. If she had thought that she could plan this next DA mission without Draco, she would have, but she knew his help would be invaluable. So she found herself knocking on his door late one night, hoping that he would forgive her for being such a coward.

A week of planning together did much to mend the strange relationship between them. Sometimes she would catch herself just watching him work, reliving their one time together, wondering if it would get better the next time. Then she would reprimand herself and refocus on the task of stealing Gryffindor's Sword _for Harry_. The night of the mission would have gone perfectly if it weren't for her being distracted by Draco. She knew that if he were caught, he would be sent straight home where Voldemort would be waiting to punish him. She had insisted that he stay behind, but he had refused, convinced that Longbottom would get her caught. Instead, she was the one who had delayed the plan with her arguing and had led them straight into Snape's hands. He had sent Draco back to his room, thanking him for following the suspect students. He had then sent Ginny and Neville to Hagrid to help find asphodel in the forest. Ginny was so relieved at not being tortured that she didn't question the easy punishment until she arrived at Draco's the next night.

Draco looked up at her as she entered his room, having given her his password when she had come to him the week before. "Are you okay? Has he punished you yet? I will go and talk to him right now. I will _not_ let you be hurt." He had briskly walked over to her and seemed to be looking her over for injury.

She smiled at him and replied, "I am fine. He sent us to Hagrid, which is kind of strange since he would know that was not a big deal." She paused and scrunched up her face in confusion briefly before her eyes widened, and she said, "He's not really one of them, is he? He's still with _us_. Oh my goodness, Dumbledore ordered him to kill him, didn't he?"

"I don't know for sure, but yeah, I think there's a chance that it was part of a plan. I have no idea what he is going to do, but I wouldn't count him out yet as being in the Order. He _had_ to kill him if I didn't, Ginny. He took the Unbreakable Vow with my mum. And … I think Dumbledore knew all about it." He sat down heavily on the sofa.

She joined him and bumped him with her shoulder, "He protected you, Draco, they _all _did. Don't you think your mum wants you to be free of this?" She picked up his left arm as she spoke.

"Are we back to that again?" He looked at her seriously. "I can't promise you anything, Ginny."

"That's okay. I can't promise you anything, either." And with that, she once again leaned forward and kissed him.

Over the next few months, Ginny practically moved into Draco's room. More and more of the DA had moved into the Room of Requirement, and she, with Draco's help, had become the liaison from the outside to her friends. They were partners in crime, and in the privacy of Draco's room, they were much more. They had an unspoken agreement to not discuss the future or their feelings, but they learned to express themselves in other, more intimate ways. They were trying to simply enjoy being together, but as news from the outside world grew direr, they grew closer and became more dependent upon one another.

Draco sighed as he was stroking her bare back. "I got an owl from my mum today. I am expected to go home for the Easter hols. She is getting worried, I think."

"Yeah, my mum told me to come home, too."

They were lounging in bed together, two nights before the Easter break. "Were you going to tell me?" He sounded calm, but she knew he was upset. It was getting harder and harder to not become more emotional with each other.

"Of course, but I wanted you to come with me. And I didn't know what to say to you."

"Ginny, I can't go home with you. My parents would be killed if I left here and didn't show up at the Manor. I have to-"

"No, you don't." She was holding on to him and speaking into his chest. "You could run away. Tonight. You could leave the letter unopened. He _can't_ blame them if you had already run."

He moved her to look at his face. "I love you, Ginevra. I need you to know that. I love you, and if we get through this war, I want to be with you."

"I love you, too." Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she kissed him softly.

He cupped her face and said, "I will run if you come with me."

She started weeping and tried to duck her head, but he stopped her. "Ginny, run away with me. I have my own money. We can go anywhere. We can be together. I want to _marry_ you."

She couldn't answer him. She couldn't bring herself to tell him no, but he could see it in her eyes.

After a few moments of silence, he finally was able to find the words to say to her. "It wouldn't matter if I hadn't opened it. They would die anyway. I have to go home, and so do you."

* * *

A/N: Beta'd by the amazing Selena!

Thanks for the positive feedback. As always, I do not threaten for reviews, but I do really like getting them.


	4. The Rebound

A/N: This chapter has been updated and Beta'd. That rhymed!

* * *

**Marry Me**

**The Rebound**

* * *

When Ginny left Draco, she broke both of their hearts. A part of her wanted more than anything to run away with him, but she could never leave her family. When the war kept her from returning to school, returning to him, she resigned herself to let him go.

As she watched Harry's lifeless body being carried towards the castle, her broken heart crumbled into dust, leaving her feeling emptier than she had after the diary. Seeing him alive was like having a dream come true, and she realized that she didn't want to waste another chance with him. She had expected Harry to come back to her, but he didn't. He came to her room a few times, but he never really came back to her. He decided to enter training to be an Auror instead of going back to Hogwarts. Ginny was disappointed, but she wanted him to have his dreams. He deserved to have whatever he wanted.

She found herself thinking more and more of Draco once she was back at Hogwarts. She often read the letter that he had sent her about Fred. At first, her letters to Draco were completely innocent. She really did miss his friendship, his sense of humour, and if she was very honest, his attention.

Over the months, she also would occasionally see Harry or write to him, but he was getting very busy with his training. Or so she had thought. When she found out that he was mostly occupied with other witches, she raged with anger and created a very uncomfortable Christmas dinner at the Burrow. He assured her that she was forever, and he was just having fun whilst she was still in school. She knew that she was expecting more from him than he was willing to give, and it didn't take much persuasion for her to forgive him.

Still hurt, however, she started to reply to Draco more often, and she slowly let him back into her heart. The only problem was that Hermione was in school with her that year, and out of fear, Ginny chose to keep Draco a secret. She confided in her mother that she was interested in someone, and not so coincidentally, Harry showed up at Hogwarts, declaring his love for her. She decided to tell Draco in person that she wanted to give Harry another chance. She wanted her family to be happy again, and although Fred was gone forever, Harry was not. She needed to know if the fairytale was real. Her plans were soon forgotten, however, when she met Draco and he pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. She wanted to feel guilty, but feeling him again was making her unsure of whom she was betraying. She couldn't think of anything past his lips, his hands, and then his body pressing against hers, leading her to a private room.

Walking away from him the second time was even more difficult than she could imagine. But it only made her more determined to have the perfect relationship with Harry. He would be worth every tear she cried as she ran back to Hogwarts. They would be everything she had envisioned during her fifth year. She would find her happily ever after with the boy her family loved.

After the war, Draco had deluded himself, for a short while, that he and Ginny would rekindle their relationship. He first wrote to her on the day of Fred's funeral, sending his condolences and his love. He didn't get a reply from her until school restarted, and the reply was not filled with words of love like he had hoped. Not ready to give up on her, he continued to write to her throughout the year. Eventually, their letters became more intimate, and they were corresponding more frequently. He was sure that it was just a matter of time before they would be together again.

He had been cleared of all charges by the Ministry, and he had even found a respectable job. He knew that their families would not be completely comfortable about the two of them dating, but he believed that they would recognize the love between them. Her last Hogsmeade weekend, they finally met and spent a very passionate afternoon together. He should have known when she told him to meet her secretly that things were not quite what they seemed. He should have known when she didn't want to talk about her plans for after school that they didn't include him. And he really should have known that when she said goodbye with tears in her eyes that she meant it to be forever. But he didn't want to see it, and when he received the letter telling him that she needed some space, he decided to respect her wishes.

Then, after months of no contact, he found out that she had joined the Holyhead Harpies. He sent her a letter of congratulations and suggested they meet to celebrate. When he attended the opening game, he found out first hand that she was back with Potter. He had stood at the edge of the pitch, flowers in hand, and watched as she leapt into his rival's arms and kissed him soundly on the lips. Before long, their pictures began appearing in the papers more and more frequently. They were the darlings of the Wizarding world, and Draco resigned himself to let go of her. After dating for several years, it was becoming more and more obvious to Draco that he was not really over losing Ginny. But when the papers began speculating about a wedding between her and Potter, he decided to make his parents happy and settle down.

x

Astoria Greengrass was on the sofa practically begging for Draco to make love to her. She was writhing, naked under his expert hands, and moaning his name. He normally would have had the patience to move them to the bedroom, but it had been a long while since he had enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh. Draco had been dating the younger Greengrass for six months, and Astoria, being a smart witch, had held out for a more serious commitment. She wanted more from Draco than a great shag, she wanted a husband. Normally, he would never have waited six _days_ to be with a woman, but Draco Malfoy wanted a suitable wife. He considered himself lucky that he had already begun dating Astoria when he saw the newspaper headlines announcing Harry Potter's engagement to Ginevra Weasley. That way, Ginny would never think that his decision to marry had anything to do with her.

Draco had finally convinced Astoria to consummate their relationship, having assured her that things were moving forward between them. He had recently moved into his family's London flat. The Malfoys and Greengrasses had dined together at Malfoy Manor two nights before, and Draco's mother had dropped several hints at the joining of the two families. Astoria's mother had also informed her that the next day Draco had privately met with her father to request her hand in marriage. So Astoria had immediately floo'd to a boutique in Paris and purchased several pieces of sexy lingerie, one of which was currently on the floor next to the sofa that she and Draco were lying on.

[Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock]

"You've got to be joking! Who the bloody hell would be here at this hour?" Draco stood up from the sofa and zipped his trousers. "Sorry, sweets, I'm sure it's just Blaise out on a bender. Let me get rid of him. He will never go away on his own. Poor bastard, can't seem to get over losing Luna." (Says the man who still dreams of someone else.)

He walked down the hall and jerked the door back with a smart-arse remark rolling off of his tongue, "Oy! Go wank somew….Ginny?"

She looked up at him, and he could see the tear tracks down her cheeks. He wondered briefly how she knew where to find him. For a moment, he felt his heart soar, and he completely forgot about the naked woman on his sofa.

"Draco, I know it's late. I just didn't know where else to go." She started crying again, and that was enough for him to make a decision that would affect the rest of his life.

It took all of three minutes for Draco to get Astoria out of his flat. He had to use a Silencing Charm on her because of the screaming, but he didn't really care that his parents were going to be livid or that he was supposed to propose soon or that she would be gone forever if he did this. His Ginevra was back, and nothing was going to get in the way of their being together this time.

After his ex-almost-fiancée had left, Draco quickly escorted Ginny into the kitchen of the large flat. He offered to make some tea, and as he was nervously pacing through the kitchen, she sat on a stool with a blank look on her face. Once the tea had been poured and some biscuits nibbled, Draco decided to broach the obvious and ask her why she was there.

He picked up her empty cup and smiled at her warmly. "You don't have to talk about it, but I'm willing to listen all night if that's what you need."

She finally made eye contact with him again and said almost inaudibly, "I left him."

"Right. He didn't hurt you, did he?" Draco struggled with feeling both sheer joy at her revelation and utter despair at seeing her so broken.

She gave a hollow laugh and shrugged her shoulders, a sinister smile on her face.

Draco stilled at her reaction. He wasn't sure of this new Ginny. She had always been so strong and brave and idealistic. This woman was disillusioned, and he wasn't sure what to do for her. After another few minutes of silence, he decided that he would put her to bed.

Walking over to her, he gestured for her to follow him. "Come on, let's get you to bed. You can lie in tomorrow. There's a loo connected to your room, and a house-elf named Potty to serve you. We can talk tomorrow when I get back from damage control. I'll be down the hall if you need me."

x

The next morning arrived all too quickly, and Ginny was disoriented when she awoke. She stayed in the large, comfortable bed rethinking the night before. It took her a minute to realize that she was indeed in Draco's flat. The fact that she even knew where he lived caused a flicker of guilt. She was _engaged_ to Harry, or she had been. She also knew that Draco had moved on, and the guilty flicker grew into a roaring fire when she recalled an irate, yet silent, Astoria Greengrass glaring at her the previous night. Before she could continue to berate herself, a loud pop sounded to her right, and there appeared a small house-elf with large green eyes.

"Miss, I have been instructed to serve you today, I have. I am Potty, Miss. Master has told me to help you in whatever way you would like." He bowed before her.

"Hermione would just love this." She flopped back into the bed.

"Is there something that you would be wanting, Miss?"

She sat up again and thought for a moment about leaving. "First, you can call me Ginny. And … I would love some breakfast. Anything that's quick and easy."

x

Draco had owled his parents before he went to sleep the night before, requesting to have breakfast with them at the Manor. When he arrived with no greeting from his mother, he knew that Astoria had already informed them of his actions.

"Mother, Father. Good morning. I need to talk with you about Astoria." He took his usual seat across from his mother and to the right of his father.

Narcissa didn't even look up from her plate, but Lucius dropped his knife and fork, which make a loud clanging noise as they hit his plate. "Draco, I have no idea what kind of game you are playing at, but the Greengrasses are a respected family, and you cannot treat their daughter that way."

"Yes, Father, I know who they are, but – "

"NO, you will go straight over there and tell her that it was all a mistake, and that nothing is happening between you and that Weasley girl."

"I am impressed, Father. You didn't call her 'filth' or 'blood-traitor'. You really are working on your diplomacy. But I will not be begging for Astoria. I love Ginevra, and I am not going to lose her again."

"What is wrong with you? Is she or is she not engaged to Harry Potter? And what do you mean 'lose her again'?"

At this, Draco looked to his mother who had finally acknowledged his presence. Lucius observed the silent communication between the two and slammed his hand on the table. "What is going on, Narcissa?"

She narrowed her eyes at Draco and then turned to her husband replying, "Your son thinks that he is in love with that girl and has thought so since his last year in school. She played him like a fool, and yet he keeps waiting for her." Then she turned her icy eyes to Draco. "It must have been quite the romantic reunion last night. Are you planning on being her adulterous lover or has she actually ended her relationship? You have clearly ended yours. I don't think Astoria will even consent to speak your name at this point."

"I did not intend to hurt Astoria, and I am sorry that it happened the way it did. There will be **no** pleading for her, Father. You will have to make amends with the Greengrasses on your own. Mother, Ginevra_ has_ ended it. And I _do_ love her. I always have and I always will. The two of you will have to accept that I am going to be with her. I will not give her up!"

Both Draco and Narcissa had stood at the same time with the intent of storming out of the dining hall. Narcissa glared at her son before tossing her napkin onto her plate and exiting towards the kitchen. Draco rolled his eyes at his mother (ignoring how alike they were) and stomped back out of the house. Lucius simply threw his head back and looked to the heavens, thinking of how he could possibly deal with the Greengrasses.

x

When he arrived back at his flat, Draco was not sure what to expect from Ginny. He had declared his love for her to his family, and she might technically still be engaged to another man. _The_ other man. It had always been Potter. And now she had returned, supposedly sans Potter, and was sitting comfortably on the sofa on which he had nearly shagged his ex-girlfriend just the night before.

Draco plopped down next to her and smirked, "Well, my parents think that you are a lovely young woman and are looking forward to having dinner with us."

"That's wonderful! My mum was just here and sends her love. Oh, and Harry says thanks for sending Astoria his way. This little swap will be delightful." She sounded rather catty and was not amused with his joke.

"Leave her out of it. She is innocent in this, and let's just say that I should not have been prepared to marry someone I did not love. So thank you for saving me from that mistake. Some day I am sure she will appreciate it as well. She deserves better."

Sensing the end of the subject and a need to lighten the mood she had destroyed, Ginny quirked an eyebrow and said, "So … _Potty_?" She smiled and, for a moment, looked like the girl he loved.

He chuckled and then turned his head back towards her. "I swear I didn't name him. He was a gift from Blaise."

The rest of the weekend consisted of eating, watching movies on Draco's Muggle television (that was a surprise), and bantering playfully. Draco avoided the topic of why she was there, simply choosing to ignore the fact that her break-up was not announced in the papers. He had a nagging fear that she wasn't as happy as she was acting, but that also was pushed to the back of his mind. The plan was made for her to stay with him until her training began. She was well hidden in his flat as no one outside of the wards could get past the lift. He'd had to reveal that he had optimistically added her to the wards when he moved in six months before. When he went to bed Sunday evening, he felt happier than he had in a long time.

Ginny tiptoed across the hall and quietly opened the door to Draco's room. She peered inside and noticed immediately that the room was filled with his scent. It was fairly dark, though a little bit of moonlight peeked through a gap in the curtains. After a moment, her eyes adjusted, and she could see the outline of his sleeping form. Taking a deep breath, she walked over and climbed into the bed behind him. He made a small noise at her intrusion but then returned to his deep breathing. She lay still for a while, remembering the nights in Hogwarts that she had shared his bed. Before long, she couldn't resist rolling to him and wrapping her arms around him. She started snuggling into his back and rubbed her leg against his. Thinking that maybe she shouldn't do that, she started to pull away when his hand grabbed her thigh and held her to him.

"Draco." She whispered, and still she could hear the desire in her voice.

He quickly turned and pinned her beneath him and began kissing her passionately. Six months of no sex had done much to increase his libido, but one kiss from Ginny sent him over the edge. His mind was clouded with lust and love, and he couldn't taste enough of her sweet lips. She returned his kisses just as hungrily and began pulling at his body. When she reached down into his pyjamas, he began to moan loudly. Not even waiting to get her undressed, he ripped her silky panties from her and helped her remove his pants. Suddenly, he stopped and started looking around for his wand.

Ginny grinded into him to get his attention and smirked, "Monthly potions, regulated by the Harpies. Trust me, we're fine." She had barely finished her last sentence before he had buried himself inside of her.

It wasn't until Draco had brought them both to climax three times, that he rolled onto his back and pulled her to him. Ginny was still panting and kissed his sweaty chest. "You have got better at that. Much better."

He smiled smugly and replied, "Thank you. I've had lots of practice."

"So have I - "

"Stop. I don't want to know. Unless, of course, it's to tell me that I am far superior, then please, by all means, do go on."

She laughed and then chose to remain quiet for a moment, testing him to see his reaction. When he snorted, she laughed again and said, "By all means, Draco, by _all_ means, you are the best."

x

Draco regretted that he had to be at work the next morning, but he knew that it could not be missed. He was working for the Department of Magical Games and Sports. It had been a dream job, considering his past and his family's tarnished reputation, and he had been slowly working his way up in the department for the last four years. It also had afforded him an easy way to keep tabs on Ginny since he had access to information on all professional Quidditch players. Even more helpful, Blaise had become part owner of the Holyhead Harpies two years before and had maintained a friendship with Ginny since his return from hiding during the war. Draco reluctantly left the sleeping redhead in his bed as he readied himself for work. This week would be important, as he was up for a promotion.

For days, Ginny chose to "play house" with Draco, and she refused to talk about what had happened or acknowledge that she had just left her fiancé. By the morning of the fourth day, Blaise had shown up at Draco's flat whilst she was there alone and informed her that her entire family was ready to go to the Ministry and report her missing. He handed her several owls from her mother and Harry, rolled his eyes, and left. She immediately burned the letters and headed back up to Draco's bedroom to dress in the designer robes he had brought home for her.

Upon her arrival at the Burrow, her mother came screaming into the living room. She grabbed Ginny roughly, squeezing her tightly to her chest, and then shoved her away.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley! I am going to kill you for what you have done to Harry. He has been sleeping here all week waiting for you to return. Where have you been?"

"He's here?" Ginny shrieked and had turned towards the floo when she felt the Full Body Bind hit her from behind. "AAARGH!"

"I will release you, but you are going to sit down, young lady, and explain yourself. And no, he is not here right now."

The two Weasley women sat at the kitchen table, Molly eating some biscuits and Ginny refusing to eat or drink anything. Ginny had explained to her mother that she had left Harry for good, and she had been staying with a friend.

Molly tilted her head and questioned her daughter, "With whom have you been staying? We have been to _all_ of your friends' homes. No one has seen you."

"Mum, it's a friend. That's all you need to know."

"You haven't!" She looked over the fancy robes on her daughter. "You have! You are staying with that Malfoy boy! I didn't want to believe it, but when Blaise said he could find you, I knew it. Where did I go wrong with you?"

"Mum, it's not what you think." Ginny felt her cheeks burning at her mother's piercing gaze. "Okay, fine, it's what you think. But I have _not_ been cheating on Harry. Ha! Don't you even want to know why I would leave practically _perfect_ Harry Potter?"

"No, I don't, because I'm afraid that I will be losing a son over your answer." Molly managed to look guilty at her brutal honesty. "I'm sorry, dear, I know you'd never leave him without reason. But if he has strayed, I know he's learned his lesson."

"Mum! I can't believe you! I'm your _daughter_! Do you know how hard it was for me to finally leave him? I haven't been happy in years." Ginny was standing with tears running down her cheeks.

"Ginny, you can't mean that. You were so happy to be getting married."

"You're right. I was. Because I thought that it would change… I leave for training in a few weeks. Please, just give me some time to sort things out. I promise to talk to you before I leave." She hugged her mother goodbye and headed to the floo calling out, "Grimmauld Place."

Ginny stumbled out of the fireplace and almost straight into Harry's arms. He held her close to him and whispered words of love and forgiveness into her hair. She froze in his embrace, unprepared to face him. She had been sure that he would have been at work during this time of the morning. He cupped her face and found her eyes cold and her face stoic. Changing tactics, he started crying, and he dropped to his knees as he apologized for hurting her. She stood still and let him have his moment. She could feel part of her wanting to just pretend it had never happened, pretend he really was the perfect man everyone thought he was.

Finally, she pulled away from him. "Harry, stop. Just stop. I know you are sorry, but I can't deal with you right now. I came to get my things."

"Gin, it was just once. You were gone and I was drunk. It was before we were engaged. I swear, it never happened again."

"That's just it, Harry. We have had this conversation before. Granted, it was years ago, but you swore that time, too. Maybe you need to stop drinking, stop hanging out in those pubs where every girl there wants to brag to her friends that she shagged the great Harry Potter."

"I always Obliviate them."

"Sweet Merlin, Harry. Do you even hear yourself? Them? As in more than one! That's my point. You can't even keep your lies straight. You do realize that you could lose your job, _Auror Potter_."

"I said that because of before. I have **not** cheated on you since we were engaged. I will **not** cheat on my wife, Ginny. I am **not** that person. I _love_ you, and I am so sorry. Please believe me. I will do whatever you want. You can keep playing for as long as you want. You don't have to stay at home. Please, Gin. Don't do this to us."

"Harry, I love you, too. I just need some time. I'm staying with a friend. Please don't try to find me. I'm going back to the Harpies soon. You can owl me then." She shrugged free from his grip on her arm and went upstairs and began packing.

x

When Draco arrived home and called for Ginny, he was surprised that there was no answer. He asked Potty where she had gone, but his elf didn't know. He was heading towards the floo to contact Blaise when he heard the knock on the front door. Racing to the door, he yanked it open and found Ginny and Luna standing there amidst a mountain of boxes.

She smiled weakly at him, "I moved out. Can I bring my stuff in here for now?"

He let out a sigh of relief and opened the door wider, "Get in here. Hi Luna, still tormenting Blaise?"

Luna answered, as she passed, with an innocent smile that had long ago stopped working on her friends.

"Ginevra, go on in and get some food for the two of you. I'll get your things."

Luna gave Ginny a nudge and took her hand as they left the entryway. Draco began carrying boxes in, with Potty's help, and put them in the guest bedroom.

After dinner, Luna kissed Draco's cheek and whispered to him, "She needs to talk. I have my suspicions, but she didn't want to talk with me about it at their place. Be careful with her, Draco." She hugged Ginny, promised to see her soon, and left the two new flat mates.

He was prepared for Ginny to collapse into a ball of tears once Luna left. He was not prepared for her to attack him and try to seduce him atop the dining table. At first, he reacted only to her touches, but eventually he stopped her and just held her close to him.

He pulled her back to look into her eyes and stated, "It's time for you to stop running. You need to talk. I won't make you tell me anything, but I think you need to talk to someone."

"You won't want me when you know who I've become." She started crying and hung her head down. "I think he has broken me."

It took hours, but by the next morning, Draco had coaxed the entire saga of Ginny's relationship with Harry out of her. The sense of obligation that she felt to Harry was overwhelming, his lack of support of her career was surprising, and his cheating was enough to make Draco want to kill him. Over the years, Ginny had lost herself to this man. She had sacrificed her very identity to keep up the illusion that they were happy.

The next day, Draco found out that he had been promoted to Assistant Director of Public Relations in his department. He floo'd Ginny at lunch and informed her of the good news. He was exhausted from the night before, but his spirits were high, and he wanted to celebrate when he arrived home. When he exited the floo, he immediately saw the table set, candles lit, and Ginny standing at the end of the table wearing a beautiful, low-cut dress.

"Congratulations! I made dinner and a blackberry tart for dessert. I know it's your favourite." She walked over to him and kissed him before taking his things. "Come on, everything is ready."

"You are amazing! It smells wonderful." He grabbed her to him and kissed her again. This was the life he wanted. He would give anything for this to be real, for Ginny to be his. She seemed so cheerful to him, so much like the girl he knew.

"Thank you." She felt so much better after the night before. She almost felt giddy. A small voice inside of her was telling her that it was denial, but looking at Draco's happy face made her ignore that rational voice.

Later that night, after a delicious meal and a bottle or two of wine, Ginny found herself in the arms of her lover. It had been different this time. He had been sweet and tender, and she had let herself feel loved by him. They had taken their time, enjoying each intimate caress and every shared pleasure.

Lying together and feeling thoroughly happy, she had murmured into his chest, "I love you, Draco."

"I love you. You know that, though. I know that you are still dealing with things, but I want this, Ginevra. I want _you_. I still want to marry you if you will have me. … You don't have to say anything right now, just know that I am in this with you forever." He kissed her head and tried to ignore the feeling of her tears on his bare skin.

x

It had been three weeks of heaven for Draco. His parents had completely ignored him (finally), his work was going exceedingly well, and most importantly, Ginny had returned to him. Being with her again was the most satisfying feeling in the world. They seemed completely in sync with one another. Whether they were talking and laughing, flying at Blaise's house, or making love until the early hours of the morning, they were always happy and filled with love. Ginny insisted that they cook their meals together, and Draco actually enjoyed learning the mundane house chores that he usually left for Potty to do because it was time spent with her.

What Draco didn't know was that Ginny was feeling lost inside. As much as she loved Draco, she was still reeling from her abrupt break-up with Harry. She was struggling with wanting to forgive him. After all, she always had. Harry had much more control over her than even he understood. Most of her family was giving her space, but she had received a rather brutal letter from Ron informing her that she was destroying his best friend. Somehow, the papers had not caught on to the split, and it was just another draw to go running back to him. No one would ever know, and the wedding could happen in a few months as planned. Harry had even let go of his need for her to stay home and have babies right away. It was all very tempting, but the moment she heard Draco's voice, felt his touch, or looked into his eyes, she felt happy and peaceful, and bewildered. How could she possibly love two men at the same time?

When Draco had mentioned marriage, she felt trapped, and it was that feeling that had stayed with her at night. It was that feeling that had her running to Luna the week before, and it was that feeling that made her sign the lease to the flat downstairs from Luna without even considering what it would do to Draco. She had returned to the new flat to pick up the keys and her copy of the lease, which she was carrying in her hands, walking down the hall with her thoughts swirling frantically in her head, when the lift doors opened and revealed Blaise.

"Hey Red, did you just see Luna? No, wait, this isn't her floor." He paused and looked at her confusedly. Then he noticed the keys and paper in her hands, which he immediately snatched from her. After reading the lease, he looked at her angrily. "What are you doing to him?" He shook his head and handed her things back over. "I love you, but you're really testing the limits of our friendship. Draco is like my brother, and you're going to make him mental."

"I never told him that this was permanent!"

"No, of course not. You never tell him anything, except that you love him and then you don't. Or even better, you sleep with him and then run away. We both know he is a little girl when it comes to you. Dammit, Red. I mean it. You need to just leave him alone."

"I do love him, and just because **you** can't get Luna to come back to you does **not** mean that Draco doesn't get to have me." She was glaring at him as if she hated him, but he knew her well enough to know that the only one she really hated was herself.

"So he _has_ you then? To have and to hold and all that rot? Cause that's what he wants. You ready for that?"

"I love him, and if he wants me then he –"

"Don't, Ginevra. I know you too well. I know you love him, but giving him false hope, that is not _loving_ him."

She turned around and went down the stairs. Blaise sighed and put his head in his hands. As usual, when it came to Ginny, he probably just had made things a lot worse.

The next evening, Ginny was sitting at the dining table, anxiously waiting for Draco to return from work. Her toe was tapping rapidly against the floor and her hands were fidgeting with her shirtsleeves. She could see the floo light up from where she was seated. Draco came bounding in from the fireplace with a large bouquet of orchids in his arms.

He walked in and immediately crossed to her, giving her a lingering kiss, and presented her the flowers. "How was your day? Were you able to catch up with Luna?"

"Um, no. I ran into Blaise, actually. These are lovely; I'll put them in a vase."

It was at this time that Draco noticed her nervousness, and his heart began to sink. "No, let Potty do it. Potty!"

The elf appeared and looked quickly between the two. He looked very sadly at Draco since he knew what Ginny had been doing all afternoon. "Yes, Master?"

"Put these in the blue vase, please." Draco took the orchids from her and handed them to the house-elf who disappeared with a crack. He pulled out a chair and sat down, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. "Ginny, what is going on?"

"I …I," she sighed. "I found a flat this week and will be moving out … today." She would not look at him. "Draco, this has been wonderful, but I'm not ready to move in with you and settle down. I go back to training this weekend, and I'll be gone for months. Maybe when I get back, we can try this again." She finally looked over to him and saw him staring straight ahead. Slowly, the colour in his cheeks returned to normal and his body became rigid. He sat as still as a statue taking in her words.

Finally, with a quick inhale, he turned to her and said, "Well then, did you need any help or have you already moved all of your things?" His tone was all business, and it hurt her to see him like this.

"I only have one load left. We could go out to dinner, if you'd like."

"It's been a long day, Ginevra. I think I will just see you out and then go to bed."

She knew that she was being unfair, but she could not stop herself from pushing him. She wanted one more reassurance that he loved her before she left. It was utterly selfish, but in her grief, she could only see herself. "I thought you loved me, Draco! You won't even be civil? You know what I've been through. I was offering to go out with you and stop hiding away in your flat. I thought that you would appreciate that."

The composure that he was barely holding onto was gone in an instant. He jumped up from the table, knocking the chair backwards, and slammed his fist into the wall behind him. "Appreciate what? That you are not ashamed to be seen with me or that Potter already knows where you've been so it's okay if we are seen together? Which is it, Ginevra? Because only one of those sound like a good option to me. I am **not** your go-to guy for when he hurts you! Yes, I know what he's done to you, and it breaks my heart. Do I _love_ you? How can you even say that? _All_ I do is love you."

"Then you will wait for me! I'm not ready for this, Draco! I am not over him. I can't be with you right now, not like you want." She had rushed to him and grabbed his hands as she pleaded.

"Why am I not enough for you? We have been happy. We are _always_ happy together. I never hurt you. I never betray you. I never let you down. How can you still want him?"

"I don't know." She fell back into her seat and began sobbing. "I know you are better, and that's why you deserve better than me."

"I get to choose what I deserve, Ginevra, and I choose you. I will always choose you!"

"I wish I could be what you want, Draco. I love you, but I just can't do this right now." She ran from the room, picked up a box and a small bag sitting by the fireplace, mumbled her destination, and left him.

* * *

A/N: Thank you Selena for pushing me to rework the opening and for all other great advice on this fic.

Thanks so much for reading! I have been working so much on my other fic, _The Safe House_, but I promise this one is still going to be finished.

Please review!


	5. The Competition

A/N: After the long wait, I hope that everyone enjoys this chapter. And if you missed it, I added some back story to chapter 4 in the beginning.

* * *

**Marry Me**

**The Competition**

* * *

Draco thought that he would never get over that month with Ginevra. Before she had shown up on his doorstep, he had resigned himself to a life without love, a life with a nice wife that he cared about, maybe some kids, but nothing more. After she had stormed into his life and destroyed his plans, he decided that he was done with love and with anything resembling it. It hadn't taken long for his reputation to grow as a heartless playboy. He dated many women, and he never brought them to his flat, never dated them for more than a month or two, and never let them know anything more about him than necessary. It had become almost a challenge to many young witches (and a few really brazen wizards) to try and land the Malfoy Heir.

As soon as Ginny had arrived at training that spring, she started receiving daily owls from Harry. She had returned them all, unopened, and had felt stronger than she had in years. After five weeks of training, the Harpies had their first exhibition game. All of the Weasleys attended this game each year as it was close to George's (and Fred's) birthday and allowed them to celebrate both Ginny's upcoming season and the birthday party. She had invited Draco to the game and had not received any response from him, but she had hoped that he would show up. She had apologized in her owl and told him that she had been working on herself. She didn't include a ticket because she knew, if he were to come, he would be with Blaise in the owner's box.

She stood in her uniform, outside of the changing rooms, scanning the crowd for her family and trying not to look up at the box. After spotting George waving frantically at her, she quickly retreated back to her team. She played a good match, and wryly, she acknowledged that she was playing for Draco, hoping to impress him. After the game, she quickly showered and changed into an elegant, but sexy dress. She emerged from the changing rooms excited to see her family and hopefully Draco. Instead, she was met with a large bouquet of lilies and a handsomely dressed Harry. Her eyes widened, and she stopped short, looking around for her family who were nowhere to be found. (Traitors!)

"Harry. What are you doing?"

"I am trying to get your attention. You told me I could owl you, Gin. Why haven't you responded? Why haven't you even read them?"

"I'm sorry, Harry. I thought that I would be ready by the time I came here, but I needed this time for me."

"Because of him?"

"Because of _who_, Harry?"

"Malfoy ... Dammit, Ginny. I know where you were staying. I know you were … with him. And I don't care. I want you back. I haven't cancelled anything for the wedding. It's still not too late."

"Harry! It's not going to happen. I'm not ready to get married. Okay? I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry."

"Then just tell me that I still have a chance with you. I love you, Gin." He walked over to her and ran his hand down her arm.

"I need some more time."

"All right. I'll wait for you." She cringed as she recalled her pleading with Draco to do just that. He saw her reaction and quickly added, "Don't worry, I'm not staying. You looked great out there." He gave her a boyish grin, handed her the flowers, and walked away.

x

Over the next several months, Ginny continued to write random letters to Draco, trying to keep some kind of connection with him. At one point, he replied that he was not interested in a friendship with her. She still wrote to him and, in time, sought advice from Blaise, who told her that she should move on and let him be. It wasn't until her last game of the season, when she saw Draco with a beautiful blond on his arm, that she realized how much she needed to let him go.

As Draco became notorious for his short and wild romances, Ginny also began dating. She finally even consented to date Harry again, but only casually. Their on-and-off-again relationship grew to be even more newsworthy than her Quidditch games. If she was perfectly honest with herself, Ginny knew that she was using Harry for sex. It was much easier to be with him when she was lonely than to sleep with someone new. Harry didn't seem to be bothered because he was finally getting everything he wanted. (No Obliviation required.) She knew that he thought eventually she would be ready to settle down, but he had learnt to stop bringing up that subject with her.

Two years went by, and Ginny and Draco never reunited. They had not seen or heard anything of each other except in the papers. Ginny had tried to ignore the pictures of the tall blond, always on the arm of a new witch, but when she returned from Holyhead at the end of her seventh season, she was desperate for information. Draco had all but disappeared from the papers for several months. Blaise refused to discuss him with her, and Luna even remained mute after she and Blaise had been to dinner at Malfoy Manor.

Ginny had been thinking about him again and was wondering if he had truly moved on from her when she opened an invitation in the post that made her drop everything else in her arms. She was standing in her flat, just below Luna's, as she read the invitation to celebrate Halloween and the recent marriage of Blaise and Luna Zabini. Looking up at her ceiling she yelled, "You eloped and didn't tell me! I'm coming up there right NOW!" It was after she had been knocking for five minutes, that she realized her friend had probably moved in with Blaise.

One week later, Ginny appeared at the apparition point on the Zabini Estate in a stunning emerald green dress that showed off her toned arms and full breasts. She knew Draco would be there, so she opted to not bring a date. Harry had come by earlier that evening hoping to escort her, but she knew he was also expecting Draco to be at the party. She had stopped sleeping with Harry when she realized that even great sex wasn't worth how she felt afterwards. It had been months, and Harry seemed to accept their new status as friends. Or she thought he had, until he had shown up in dress robes that evening. He had warned her against Malfoy, which made her want to ask if he knew anything new about the Slytherin. She stopped herself from asking about Draco and assured Harry that she was perfectly fine attending the party alone. As she stepped into the large ballroom, she immediately started to second-guess leaving him behind.

Draco walked up behind her and whispered into her ear, "I was going to watch you all night and make you come to me, but when you wear something like that, I'm just going to assume it's for me anyway."

She felt chills run down her spine, but stopped herself from facing him. "You should see what's underneath it." She smirked as she felt his breath catch against her neck.

"Oh, I will." He walked around her and looked her in the eyes. "The question is now or later?"

He had never looked sexier to her than he did at that moment, and she was just about to answer him when she heard her name being called.

"Ginny! Please don't kill me! You know how much I love October 21st!" Luna was practically glowing as she glided over to them and embraced the redhead. "Draco, I see you found what you were looking for." She smiled deviously at him, and he frowned. "Blaise! Look who's finally arrived."

Blaise waltzed over to his bride and friends, drink in hand. "Red! In green! You look smashing, love. And I see Draco has found you."

Draco's eyes grew wide. "Bloody hell! You act like I've been standing at the door waiting for her."

Luna linked her arm through her husband's and looked innocently at Draco, responding as only she could, "I thought that you were standing closer to the stairs than the door, Draco. You looked like you didn't want to be seen."

Blaise laughed loudly, throwing his head back. "Merlin, I love this woman!"

Ginny looked at Draco's embarrassed face and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "The answer is _now_."

Thankfully, the two were very familiar with the Zabini Estate and quickly made their way to a rarely used guest bedroom. Within seconds, Draco had Ginny pressed up against the door and was grinding into her. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and seeing the pure need mirroring back to each other, they silently agreed to continue their assault. Draco roughly grabbed her and lifted her, pinning her against the door with his body. She could feel his arousal and rushed to help him get free from his trousers. Feeling her touch him again caused him to throw his head back in ecstasy. For a brief moment, he considered moving them to the bed, but seeing her lips parted and her chest heaving, he couldn't deny himself one more second of being with the witch he loved. He pushed her long dress up her legs, and pulling her knickers to the side, thrust himself inside of her. Ginny broke the silence with a cry of pleasure. This was everything she remembered with him. He made her feel like no one else could, and as she climaxed, she proudly screamed his name.

Draco arranged his dress robes and looked at her smugly, "Oh, by the way, I have yet to actually see what was underneath that dress. Will that be _later_?"

"Merlin, I hope so." She smiled at him and then walked over and kissed him sweetly. "I missed you."

He wrapped his arms around her and quietly spoke, "Yeah, I missed you, too."

She stared into his eyes for a moment. "I was hoping to see you." She lowered her face and mumbled into his chest, "And I was terrified that you would be with someone."

"No," he answered. Then he lifted her chin and smiled. "I've been standing at that door, waiting for you, a lot longer than this evening."

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him again. "I've been driving Blaise and Luna mad asking about you."

"I know. They keep telling me to just go and see you. I think this party is really just an excuse to get us together."

"How very clever of them to elope for our benefit."

He chuckled and pulled her closer. "So, are we going to try and do this like normal people who have survived a war, broken each other's hearts, lived together, ignored each other, and shagged magnificently at a party?"

"Yes. Are you implying that I'm not normal?"

"No, love, I've known that since I was seven – "

"Six. I believe you were six."

"Whatever," he drawled and then kissed her slowly. "You ready to meet my parents? They're downstairs, and I'm sure our very good friends have informed them that we've run off together."

To say that the Malfoys were not pleased with Draco's behaviour at the wedding party would be an understatement. Lucius barely acknowledged Ginny when she and Draco joined the elder Malfoys. Narcissa simply looked at her son and said, "You disappoint me, Draco." She shook her head and muttered under her breath something sounding like "fool" and "harlot" and then walked away. Lucius glared at Draco before quickly catching up with his angry wife.

x

After three months of happily dating, Draco thought that maybe he should finally meet the Weasleys. Ginny was reluctant to bring him to the Burrow, but after receiving a floo from her mother warning her that Harry was moving on without her, she was more than happy to bring him home.

"Oh, hi Ron. You're here early. Where's Hermione?" Ginny had just entered the Burrow from the floo and almost ran into her brother.

"Yeah, she's in the kitchen with Mum. Harry's here too, Gin." He looked unsure if that would be good or bad news to his sister, but he was still surprised when she smiled brightly.

"Oh, that's great. I haven't seen him for a few months." Just then, the floo lit up and Draco came strolling out as if he were walking through the park. She rose up on her toes and kissed him. "I just got here, love."

Ron had turned a lovely shade of purple whilst he watched his little sister kissing his childhood rival. "Gin? Why is _he _here?"

"Didn't Mum tell you? We're dating. Come on, Draco, let me show you around."

The dinner went rather well, considering that Ron and Harry took turns trying to embarrass the former Slytherin, George attempted to poison him, and Hermione questioned him about his beliefs on elf rights. (Potty was not mentioned.) Percy and his family had been very friendly, much to Ginny's relief. Her parents were kind, but not very warm. Her father had spoken with him mostly about his job, and her mother had mostly ignored him. When Bill had taken Draco outside, she thought for sure it would end badly, but to her surprise, they returned laughing about the goblins at Gringotts.

Ginny quickly pulled Draco into the hall and whispered, "Did Bill say anything about … you know? Cuz I've talked with him about it before, but I wasn't sure how he would react to seeing you here."

"He said that he couldn't imagine having the fate of his entire family on his shoulders at sixteen, and that although he did not excuse my actions, he could forgive me for being a part of what happened."

"He's my favourite for a reason." She smiled warmly at him and then leaned into a kiss.

"Yeah, mine too, I think. I did ask for his forgiveness, Ginny, and I would like to apologize to," he closed his eyes as if in pain and then continued, "Ron, as well. But not in front of Potter. Do you think you could send him this way?"

"I think if we head upstairs, and I show you my _bed_room, Ron's big brother instincts will kick in, and we won't be able to get rid of him."

She arched one eyebrow and then led him by the hand up to her room. Upon entering, she immediately grabbed Draco and pushed him onto her bed, straddling him before she began passionately kissing him.

His eyes had darkened, and she could feel the effectiveness of her attentions, but Draco lifted her off of him and gave her a warning look. "I thought you wanted your family to accept me. As much as it pains me to say this, especially since I have been fantasizing about this very thing since I was fourteen, but we _cannot_ do this here." He raked his hands through his hair and adjusted his trousers before pulling her into his arms and giving her a chaste kiss.

"You're no fun. Fine. I guess we will just have to – " Ginny stopped when a loud voice began shouting.

"You will just have to go back downstairs right this minute, Ginny. And get your slimy hands off of my sister!" Ron had, as Ginny predicted, interrupted the two lovers.

Ginny smirked at Draco before responding to Ron. "Right. Well, I will leave the two of you to resolve this ridiculous feud." She flounced past Ron and gave Draco an encouraging smile.

Ron watched her leave and then shut the door again. "Now listen, I don't know what you think is going to happen between you and my sister, but this is just temporary. She loves Harry, and he loves her. She _will_ go back to him when she is ready."

"I'm sure you'd like to believe that, but I know that this is _not_ temporary. And Potter can love her all he wants, but he will never have her again. As her brother, I would think that you would want more for Ginevra than to settle down with a self-absorbed, philandering, prat."

"Better than an arrogant, Death Eater, arse!"

"I am** not **a Death Eater!"

"That stain on your arm says otherwise!"

"Dammit, Ron! I _love_ your sister, and I'm trying to apologize to you!"

"What?" Ron looked confused for a moment, completely surprised by both the declaration and the attempt at forgiveness. "You called me Ron?"

"Yes, I do know your given name, _Ron_. I love Ginevra. I have loved her longer than you would probably care to know. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I cannot change them. I'm sorry for what happened in sixth year. I never meant for you to be hurt, and I _am_ sorry."

Ron stared at the other wizard for a moment, his mouth turned into an ugly scowl. "If you hurt her, I will kill you."

"Understood."

x

The Malfoys had refused to invite Ginny over to the Manor, and they (as in Narcissa) had even set Draco up with several surprise dates when he had submitted to dining with them alone. When he walked into the parlour and saw Pansy sitting beside his mother, he had had enough.

"Mother, Father." He walked over to his mother and leaned down, kissing her on the cheek. "_Princess Pansy_, how nice of you to join us this evening." He took her hand and kissed it.

Pansy ignored his sarcasm and smoothly replied, "Draco, it's been so long. Too long, don't you think?" She attempted to look sweet and innocent, and instead he thought she looked a bit demented. "I was just telling Narcissa about how that Weasley girl had broken us up in seventh year. It really is a shame. We were always so perfect together."

Draco closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead before inhaling through his nose. "Are you really so _stupid_ that you have no idea who I'm dating right now?"

"Draco!" Narcissa stood up from the sofa and looked outraged.

"Mother!" He sounded sarcastic, but his eyes were glowing with anger.

Lucius took a deep breath and then walked between his two family members. "Narcissa, you must stop inviting these women over here without telling him. Draco, you will apologize to Pansy and to your mother, and then we can go to dinner."

Draco and Narcissa turned to Lucius and together screamed, "I will do no such thing!"

All three Malfoys stood glaring at one another. (Well, two Malfoys stood glaring and one looked murderous.) Lucius was embarrassed, which was a rare thing, and before he could get himself sent back to Azkaban, he pulled himself up straight, and with a cold voice, announced, "I think that this evening has come to its conclusion. Pansy, I apologize for my son's ill-mannered behaviour and for my wife's misleading invitation. You may leave."

Pansy, who had been sitting perfectly still throughout the exchange, jumped up from her seat and quickly exited the room, but not without mouthing "floo me" to Draco.

x

The next several weeks went by without any problems between the couple. Draco had not spoken to his parents since the night Pansy was at the Manor, and the Weasleys had accepted his presence at their family gatherings. Ron Weasley had even personally handed him a cigar the night that he announced Hermione was pregnant with their first child. Ginny had slowly brought a few things over to his flat, but she had insisted on keeping her own place. She had sat Harry down at one point, and explained to him that she really wanted to make things work with Draco. To Draco's surprise, Potter had subsequently missed many of the Weasley family dinners or had avoided the two of them when he did attend.

Before they had realized it, the winter had passed, and it was time for Ginny to return to Holyhead and begin training. Draco was a little apprehensive about Ginny leaving, but she assured him that she would make time for him. She promised to floo him often, and they made a schedule for visiting each other. Training ended, and Draco attended the opening game with all of the Weasleys. He loved watching Ginny play, and he was so proud to be a part of her world. Finally, he felt like his life was on the right track.

At last, the Malfoys consented to having dinner with the younger couple, and during a break from the Harpies, Ginny returned to London to visit Draco and to make her first trip to the Manor. Together, they Side-Along Apparated onto the Manor's grounds. It was a lovely night, and they enjoyed their stroll through the gardens that led to the French doors of the private dining room. As they drew closer, they could hear Lucius and Narcissa arguing through the open doors.

Narcissa wickedly laughed, "Do you honestly think that the Weasleys are just as happy as you are that their only daughter is dating our son?"

"I think that they know he is wealthy, intelligent, handsome, and completely devoted to Ginevra. What more could they want?"

"They want the saviour of the Wizarding World, which they just might get, if history repeats itself."

"Narcissa, that was years ago. She is not going anywhere. Why can't you just be happy for them? Draco is doing so well, and although I never would have picked Arthur Weasley's daughter, I have accepted his choice. And she is Pureblood, a celebrity, and a war hero. At this point, I –"

"Pureblood? If she heard you say that, you could forget about this little scheme of yours to make up for the diary. And who _are_ you? Be happy for them? I'm not trying to hurt him, Lucius. You were not there when he came to me devastated after the war. Or how about when he broke Astoria's heart just to have her leave him again? I do not trust her, and – "

"They love each other, Cissy. It's time to let this go."

Ginny looked up at Draco and watched his jaw twitching in anger. She pulled him away from the patio and back into the shadows of the gardens. "Draco, I'm not foolish enough to believe that your father has completely let go of his ideology. And your mother has every right to feel the way she does. I've been terrible to you in the past. I deserve her mistrust. Now, let's go in through the front and have a nice dinner." She tilted her head and lifted her brows. He kissed her nose and then led her back around the house.

Dinner was surprisingly pleasant, and Narcissa made it a point to try to get to know Ginny better. She spent much of the evening questioning her about her family and her hopes for her life after Quidditch. She was polite and appeared to be genuinely interested in the younger witch's conversation. Draco watched the two women with great love in his eyes, and thanked his father for what he could only assume was a gentle but stern reprimand towards his mother after he and Ginny had left their hidden spot on the patio.

x

It had been a rough couple of weeks for Ginny. She had been badly injured during practice and was forced to sit out the last two games. It was frustrating to not be playing, but Ginny wasn't ready to walk away from Quidditch. She was elated to have time away from the stresses of Holyhead, and she was anxious to be with Draco again. Upon arriving at Draco's flat, she called for him before flopping down on his sofa.

He came down the stairs in a towel, clearly having just left the shower, and walked over to her. "Do I need to get dressed or are we going to have fun here?"

"Get dressed! I really want to go out. I feel like I haven't done anything for days!" She gave him a sad face as she pouted her lips.

He rolled his eyes at her before replying, "All right. But I want you to know that I plan on keeping you very active for the next two days." He leaned down and kissed her quickly before running back up the stairs.

When they walked into _Pandora's Box_, Ginny immediately saw Harry sitting at the bar with Cho Chang. For a moment, she felt like turning around and leaving, but then she thought that would be a stupid thing to do and continued following Draco over to a booth. As they sat down, she noticed that she had a perfect view of the other couple. After a few minutes of her trying to ignore Cho's hand on Harry's thigh, Draco interrupted her angry thoughts.

"What are you staring at?" He turned his head and scanned the pub in the direction she was looking. "Didn't he date her in school?"

"If you would call him pining after her for a year and then experiencing, and I quote, 'the biggest disappointment ever' when they finally kissed, then yes, they dated." She could hear the snippiness creeping into her voice, and she felt ashamed for getting jealous in front of Draco.

Draco had not turned back to Ginny when she spoke, but had kept his eyes on Potter. He heard the bitterness in her voice, and he decided to not point it out, although it did slightly hurt him to think she cared at all about her ex.

Ginny watched Draco turn back to her slowly, and she could tell that he was thinking about what she had said. When he didn't reply, she added, "I just can't stand her, Draco. She used to occasionally show up at Harry's work when we were still together."

"Mm-hm."

"What? I don't care about him. In fact, I will go say hello and get our drinks."

"A Firewhisky, please." He smirked, which infuriated her.

She walked up to the bar and stood right behind Harry. She leaned over, resting her elbows on the bar, and waited to place her order. It took all of her strength to not glance over at the couple, but she was sure Cho had seen her join them. As soon as she started speaking to the bartender, Harry turned around.

"Ginny? Are you here alone?" Harry smiled brightly at her, and Cho glared at her from behind him.

As soon as she saw Cho place her hand on Harry's shoulder, something in her snapped. "Of course not, Harry. Draco is over there. You two should join us." She mentally cursed herself, knowing that in no way was that a good idea.

Harry looked back over his shoulder and saw the tall blond sitting at the booth. "Yeah, we should." He meant it to sound friendly, but it came out almost angry.

Ginny arched her brow at his tone and replied, "Fantastic!"

She grabbed the drinks and led Harry and a very unhappy Cho back over to the table. Ginny slid in very close to Draco and smiled seductively at him as she handed him the drink. Draco had masked his surprise at their guests and gave her a subtle smirk when he took his drink.

The four sat for a moment in silence until Draco decided to at least humour himself. "So, Potter. I haven't seen you at the Weasley's lately. I hope it's not because of me being there."

"Of course not, Malfoy. I respect Ginny's wishes, and she asked that I stay away."

Ginny sat up from leaning against Draco and interjected, "I did not. I just told you that he would be with me."

Harry gave her a cold look and said, "That's reason enough for me."

"That's exactly what I just said, Potter. I hoped it wasn't because of me." Draco smirked at Harry and then downed his drink.

Harry emptied his glass and then retorted, "Well, you got me there. It _is_ because of you. I hate to see Gin sell herself so short." The two men glowered at each other, and then Harry shouted, "Oy! Sean! Bring us a bottle!"

Cho had tried to latch onto Harry whilst he was speaking, but when he mentioned Ginny the second time; she sat back and crossed her arms.

Ginny smiled at Cho and leaned over the table, asking, "How long have you been seeing Harry, Chang? I mean, not including whilst he was with me."

"This is our third date, _Ginny_. And I don't know what you are talking about. I never saw Harry behind your back, and I don't think you should accuse either of us of doing that."

"You're right, _Cho_. I shouldn't accuse _you_ –" Just then, Sean placed a large bottle of Firewhisky on the table with four shot glasses. He gave an amused look at the odd foursome and then left. "As I was saying – "

Draco reached across her and then filled Potter's glass and his own, interrupting her with, "Let's drink to the future. Let bygones be bygones and all that shite. Ladies? You want in?" They both looked at the men with disgust and then resumed staring at each other.

After Harry and Draco had knocked back two more glasses of Firewhisky, Harry decided to resume the conversation. "Malfoy, you really don't belong here. No, I'm sorry. I meant to say you don't belong with her."

"I guess it _would_ be difficult for you to see her so happy with someone else. Perhaps you're simply not used to seeing her happy at all - since she _never_ was with you."

"You have no idea what you're even talking about. If you were so wonderful, why did she come running back to me after your little tryst?" Harry had practically shouted the last part, and Cho's eyes were bulging at him.

Ginny had stopped glaring at Cho and was watching the two men. She started to say something, but Cho abruptly stood up and said to Harry, "It's always about her! She always gets in the way! I hate you, Harry Potter!" And with that, she stormed out of the pub.

Ginny chuckled as she finished her drink and said, "Well, that was a bit much, don't you think?" She turned back to Draco and Harry and watched them drain their glasses.

"Your date just left, Potter. Maybe you should follow her," Draco sneered.

"No, I think it's time we had this little chat." Harry refilled his glass and then Draco's glass as well. Ginny watched him with a worried look on her face. They both drank again. Harry continued, "Answer my question, Ferret. Why do you think she always comes to me?"

"I think you're confused since it's _me_ she always comes back to. That so-called tryst was when she broke off _your_ engagement, or did you forget that part?"

Harry laughed darkly, and then, enjoying his moment, he said very slowly, "Oh no, I'm talking about when you _begged_ her to run away with you during the war."

Draco and Ginny both froze in place for a moment. Then she grabbed the bottle and poured herself a drink. Draco's hand that had been resting on her thigh slowly moved away from her, and she glared at Harry.

Harry sat back in the booth, an ugly smirk plastered on his face. "Didn't she tell you that she told me? I guess the two of you don't share everything the way we did."

"Well, no. She doesn't share me with other witches." Draco's left hand was clenched around his empty glass, and his eyes were cold with anger.

Harry didn't seem to even hear the comment about his infidelity, and as he stayed reclined in his seat, he calmly replied, "It's just a matter of time, Malformed. You will mess up eventually; you know you're not good enough for her." He sat up and leaned forward, the anger returning to his voice, "And then I'll finally have her, and **you** won't!"

Ginny could feel all of the muscles in Draco's body tense up, and she knew he would have stood up at this point if it was possible. Instead, he slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "That's not going to happen because WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!"

Both men quickly looked to Ginny for affirmation, but she was still shocked at the whole conversation. Several people in the pub shouted cheers to the happy couple.

She quickly drank the rest of her Firewhisky and pulled Draco out of the booth. "Goodnight, Harry! Let's go, Draco." She yanked him through the pub and apparated them into the foyer of his building.

Once in the lift, she started rethinking the night's conversation. She knew that Draco had every right to be completely upset with her. She couldn't believe that she actually invited Harry to join them. She had been so blinded by her feelings about Cho that she had reacted without thinking. She mentally prepared herself for Draco's wrath when they entered his flat. Instead of yelling at her, he quickly ran up the stairs and into one of the guest rooms. A few minutes later, he came bounding back down the stairs and over to her.

Ginny was seated at the table in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. Draco walked over to her, stumbling a little, and knelt down on one knee. "Ginevra, I know this is too soon, and I know that you go back in two days, and I know that Potter really pissed me off, but I think that we should get married. He's going to tell your mum and dad, and … I want to be engaged."

She just gaped at him for a minute, not knowing how to respond to his pathetic proposal. Then she looked down at the ring in his hand, and her eyes narrowed at his happy face. "When did you get that ring, Draco?"

"What?"

"If you _know_ that this is too soon, then why do you have a ring?" She tried to imitate her mother's piercing gaze.

"I've had it for a while." The alcohol was affecting how quickly he understood what was happening. After a moment of him staring at her confusedly, he realized what she was really asking. "We can get a new one. You don't _have_ to use this one, but I always thought that it was really quite nice."

She stood up quickly, and he fell back. "That's the ring you were going to propose with to Astoria! I can't _believe_ you think I would want some second-hand ring! Are you mad? And what kind of proposal is that? Maybe when you start by listing all the reasons I should say no, that should be your first clue to **not do it**!"

Draco awkwardly sat up on his knees. "This is because of _him_, isn't it? Because he still wants you! I can't believe you told him about us." He pulled himself up to his feet and leaned against the counter.

"I was engaged to him. I should have been able to tell him about my past relationships."

"But you didn't tell _me_. You should've told me that he knew about that. Merlin, I _hate_ that he knows about that." He paused and looked up at her. "I wanted to run away from my family for you, Ginevra. I asked you to marry me. You killed me when you went back to him."

"I was sixteen, Draco. You knew how I felt about him. You knew that I loved him. It wasn't easy for me. I was very confused."

"Why did you bring him over tonight? Are you _still_ confused?"

"I don't know why I did that, okay?" She slumped back into the chair. "I'm not used to seeing him with someone else. It's not right, but I like seeing him wanting me. Even after everything that happened, a part of me still cares about him, or at least what he thinks." She finally looked up at him and added, "I'm sorry."

His eyes had turned dark during her confession. He had long ago stopped wearing a mask of indifference in front of her. He looked almost mad with rage when he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her up to him, and screamed at her, "DO YOU STILL LOVE HIM?"

She shoved him off of her, angry at his accusation. "How can you ask that? How many times do we have to have this conversation, Draco? Harry is a part of my life. It's time for you to stop wishing he didn't exist, because I _can't_ undo it. I _wouldn't_ undo it. Harry was – "

"He was your _first love_. I was your first kiss, your first sex, and your first fucking proposal, but I will never be _him_." She looked disappointed, but he couldn't tell if it was in what he said or in him.

Her voice was defeated, but there was a hint of anger in it. "No, you're not."

He could see that it hurt her to say that, but it did not stop him from staring at her with hatred in his eyes. He waited for a moment and then hissed, "Get out."

And so she walked out the door, out of his life, one more time.

* * *

A/N: I'm adding this note after several responses of how much people hate Ginny. First of all, you all knew from the beginning that she would be saying NO 6 times before we get back to the opening scene. :) Just saying. Also, I really am trying to make it clear how much Ginny has been hurt by Harry. I don't want to write about them because this is not their story, but just because you don't know all the gory details of their relationship, don't discount it. He messed with her head, and she's not really dealing with her pain. (hmm? kind of like never talking about the COS again - except one lame comment in book 5, but that's a whole other discussion) Anyway, please don't give up on her. Draco hasn't. And maybe I need to work on explaining this better in the story. So I am working on it for Part 6. Let me know what you think.

A special thanks to my Beta, Selena, for giving me such great input and suggestions.

Thank you for reading and reviewing! I love reading your thoughts about what is happening – even it's just a simple :)

If you haven't already, please check out my other fic, _The Safe House_. It is a much longer and slightly more dramatic fic.


	6. The Grand Gesture

**A/N:** Again, I'm sorry for such a long wait. Only one more to go after this one!

* * *

**Marry Me**

**The Grand Gesture**

* * *

It was only a week of separation for Draco and Ginny. Harry had gone directly to the Weasleys (little prick) just as Draco had predicted. A couple of days later, when Ron ambushed Ginny at the Harpies' house in Holyhead, she angrily told him that she actually was engaged to Draco. When her parents appeared in the Floo the next day, she was surprised that they were more upset with her not telling them than with her marrying a former Death Eater. Frustrated with their reaction, she screamed that it was all a lie, and that, in truth, she had ruined things with Draco. Her mother gave a sigh of relief and then disappeared into the Floo. Her father smiled and told her that a man who had been following her around since he was six years old would not be so easily lost.

Draco had awoken feeling like a complete arse for his horrible proposal. Then he remembered what she had said about Potter. He decided that even though he had been an idiot, she was the one who owed him the apology. He hated Potter, and seeing her having any kind of reaction to the other wizard made Draco mad with jealousy. He knew that asking her if she still loved her ex was pushing her, but he couldn't control himself after hearing her admit that she actually liked the stupid git still wanting her. They had discussed her past relationship many times, and it was always because Draco would bring it up in a moment of insecurity. She would claim to be completely over her ex-fiancé, and he would let it go. Draco knew that she didn't love Potter, but he also knew that she was far from being over him. He hated admitting that to himself: That his beautiful, intelligent, and feisty girlfriend was not as strong as everyone thought her to be. That he could do nothing to make her better. That she had been deeply wounded and, in spite of his love, had never healed. But he did love her, more than he had ever loved anything or anyone in his entire life, and he just couldn't give up on her. These were the thoughts that had begun to plague him each night after she walked out. And after several restless nights and no word from Ginny, he decided to make the first move. He sold the doomed engagement ring and began purchasing gifts for her with the money. He sent her a gift every day along with a note of apology for his drunken mistake.

Ginny had felt terrible about leaving Draco that night, but she was choosing to avoid thinking about him, or rather his proposal and the fear that it brought with it. She decided that she would deal with everything when she returned to London. In truth, she didn't really want to deal with any of it. His proposal pissed her off, but it scared her even more. She never felt worthy of Draco, and she secretly believed that it was just a matter of time before he realized it, too. That was part of the reason she kept her own place. It gave her security to think that maybe if he wasn't around her all the time, he wouldn't see her for what she really was. Instead of facing her fears, she channelled her energy into remaining upset with him. She resented his accusations and was still pretty offended about the ring. Indulging her anger, she refused to open his notes, and she gave away the thoughtful gifts of her favourite sweets, flowers, and other things that he knew she liked. But when she returned to London and found the wooden box containing a leather necklace with a dragon scale pendant, she sat on the floor in her flat and cried. Finally, after hours of self-pity and some much-needed reflection, she decided to grow up and deal with the mess she had made.

Ginny Floo'd into Draco's flat and ran straight up the stairs to his bedroom. It was late at night, and she knew he would be in bed. Storming up to the bed, she pulled back the covers and found nothing. She stood staring at his empty bed and began panicking. What if she was too late? What if he had found someone else? What if had killed himself because she had broken his heart, and he knew that he'd never find love again? (She could be a bit dramatic sometimes.) What if …where the bloody hell was he?

"Please tell me you are forgiving me. Sleeping in that bed is just not the same without you." He was standing in the door, hair a mess, in only his pyjama bottoms.

She turned around and smiled slowly. "I don't _always_ stay with you."

"I know. But I always knew you would be back before. You know, you ran right past me downstairs. I've been staying on the sofa, hoping you would come back." He looked like a sad little boy, and she had to hold back her tears as she lovingly rolled her eyes at him.

"Draco, I'm so sorry. Will you please forgive me?"

He smirked a little and crossed to her, replying, "Only if you forgive me. And I really am that miserable without you." He pulled her into his arms.

"Then maybe you shouldn't be without me." She looked up into his eyes. "What if I moved in with you?"

"And give up your flat you love so much?" He lifted his brows in question.

"Yes. I've been thinking a lot about us." She paused for a moment and bit her lip, more tears coming to her eyes. "I love you, Draco. I didn't mean things the way they sounded. You're the onl – "

"I don't care. I just want you back." He kissed her tenderly and cupped her face. "I love you, Ginny. I always have."

"Since I gave you this?" She smiled seductively as she opened her robe to reveal the dragon scale necklace she was wearing with nothing else.

"I'm afraid that just might be true."

He knew this was her way of making him forget and forgive, but he had missed her and he was tired of thinking about her problems. So he quickly picked her up and carried her to the bed. He slowly removed her robe and gazed at her beautiful body. She had several bruises from her time in Holyhead, and he began with kissing each mark on her otherwise perfect skin. She blushed at his attentions; she had purposely left her bruises untended in some sort of strange punishment for her bad behaviour. If only he could kiss away the damage to her soul! She grabbed him gently by the hair and brought his mouth to hers, wanting to distract both of them from what he had just seen. It didn't take much longer for his need to become obvious, and she quickly pulled at his pyjama bottoms, using her toes to shove them past where her hands could reach. For a brief moment, he recalled her saying that she had always forgiven Potter no matter what he had done, and Draco pushed into her open body, shoving all thoughts of how much he had forgiven her out of his mind.

x

The rest of the year flew by, and before they knew it, it was time for Ginny to return to Holyhead once again and begin training for another season of scheduled dates and fleeting moments of togetherness. This season, however, was going to be her last. After her injuries the previous year, she had decided that she wanted one more season of healthy playing, but then she was done. She was ready to move on, and in her most private thoughts, she wanted to settle down. The entire family, including Charlie, had showed up for her last opening exhibition game. Instead of their normal stadium seats, Draco had purchased a suite for the special occasion. Harry had not been invited, and according to Ron, he had taken it well and sent his regards.

After the game, the entire group celebrated George's birthday at the Burrow. Ginny was holding her seven-month old niece, Rose. Hermione was sitting across from her talking about the baby and about how much life had changed since her arrival. At a nearby table, Draco and Charlie were in deep discussion about dragons. She saw him glancing at her holding the baby, and she blushed as she saw him smiling, liking the picture that they made. Hermione, of course, noticed the quiet exchange between the two and Ginny's rosy cheeks. So she decided to ask her sister-in-law about when she wanted to start a family.

"This is your last season, Ginny, what do you think you might do next? Could you see yourself with your own family soon?" Hermione gave her a pointed look.

"Um, well, I haven't really thought that far ahead. I think I want to study potions. So it's going to be a long while before I'm ready to even think about … that." Ginny looked nervously over at Draco and then tried to mask it with cooing at the baby.

"Potions? Really? That's sounds exciting. I often wondered whether I would have liked Potions more in school if Snape hadn't been so, what's the word, … terrible?" She chuckled softly. "I know, I know, he was under more stress than any of us could imagine, but it's a good lesson in why we shouldn't hold on to grudges. Things could have been a lot different, and that's why I'm going to … Draco! Come here, please." She gave Ginny a devious smile, to which Ginny's eyes widened in fear. "Ginny and I need to go help Molly in the kitchen. Could you take Rose for me?"

Draco had looked puzzled at first, but when he saw Ginny grimace, he felt emboldened to prove that he could handle the tiny redhead just fine. He strode over to the two women and smiled warmly at Ginny, thinking that she really did look beautiful holding the baby. After carefully taking Rose, he carried her back over to the table. Ginny watched him holding her niece with much ease. He looked completely comfortable balancing the wiggly little girl in his arms and talking to her brother, occasionally talking to Rose and playing with her toy.

Hermione whispered into Ginny's ear, "Looks like a natural, doesn't he?"

"I don't know what you think you're trying to prove, 'Mione, but Draco is good at everything he does. It's quite disgusting, actually. I'm not surprised at all. And no, this does not make me want to go shag him in the next room and have loads of his babies."

She rolled her eyes and stormed into the kitchen, hoping that what she had just said was true, because part of her could have stayed and watched the two for the rest of the night. And that, well, she wasn't ready for … that.

x

Several months later, the entire Weasley clan, the Zabinis, the Malfoys, and several of Ginny's friends were all invited to celebrate the last game that Ginny would be playing with the Harpies. Blaise, being part owner of the team, secured the largest suite for them, and Draco, now the Director of Public Relations for the Department of Magical Games and Sports, was able to set up a large party at the Ministry. Ginny played excellently in her last game, as she had all season, and scored fifteen goals. After the final win, the entire team joined the redhead for her farewell party.

Ginny was standing by the bar, drinking with some of her teammates when Ron joined her. He gave her an apologetic smile before leaning towards her and whispering, "Hey, Gin. Harry's here, and I told him I would come get you."

Ginny pulled him away from the bar and the crowd of people. "Ron! What is he doing here? Draco will be livid if he sees him."

"I know. That's why he's still in the hall. You think I'm trying to start something? I've grown to accept that for some unknown and insane reason, you love the stupid Ferret. That, and he gets Rose to sleep like no one else." He shook his head in disbelief. "Freakish that is, the way she likes him."

"Yeah, I know. She's _my_ niece and yet she always wants _him_." She laughed as she looked over to see Draco holding little Rose as he talked with Blaise.

"I never thought that my daughter would betray me like that. But seriously, Gin, Harry's desperate to talk to you; I think he was even at the game today. Just go out there, and I will cover for you."

"Fine, but if I get in trouble for this, you won't even see the hex coming it will hit you so fast." She gave him a threatening look, which he knew well enough to fear, and then started towards the doors.

Ginny looked once more over her shoulder as she slipped out the door and into the hall. Turning around, she walked slowly down the empty corridor, frowning at not finding her former lover. "Harry?" She tried to not yell, even though she knew the music from the party would drown out her voice.

"I'm right here." He stepped out from behind a door and walked up to her, grinning. "I knew you'd come. Gin, I'm not trying to make a scene. I just wanted to see you and tell you that I love you," he paused and gauged her reaction to his opening statement. Seeing her glare at him, he continued, "To tell you that I love you enough to let you go. I promise that I will stop sending you owls, and I will not try to cause you any problems with Malfoy. I can tell that you are happy with him, and as much as I hate to admit it, he hasn't hurt you … yet."

"Harry, don't."

"Fine, he's perfect and will never do any wrong again. I guess after becoming a Death Eater and almost killing several people, one can only go up in the world."

"Are you done?"

"Yes … I think." He grinned at her expecting her to share his joke, but she only continued to glare at him. "Yes, yes, I'm done. I won't keep you from your party, but I wanted to say that I'm proud of you. You played beautifully all season and should be really pleased with going out like you did. If you ever need me, I'm here for you always. As a friend or as whatever you need me to be. I love you, Gin. I'll always regret messing things up with you. And … I miss you. Can we try to be friends again?"

"Oh, Harry. I miss you, too, sometimes. Of course we can be friends, but that is _all_. Okay? And my family misses you, too. Please start coming around again. I should've never let you to stay away."

"Yeah? That would be great. Well, I will be on my way." He opened his arms and gave her the boyish grin that he knew she loved.

After quickly hugging him, Ginny hurried back down the hall and to the door. She started to open it when she heard a small cough from behind her. Dreading who could possibly have been spying on her, her stomach sank as she turned to face a very familiar pair of icy grey eyes.

"How is Mr. Potter? I wasn't aware that he was here."

"He's fine. And he just stopped by to tell me congrats on the game, season, career – look, Narcissa, it's not what it you think it is," Ginny pleaded.

"I think that my son's girlfriend, who has repeatedly broken his heart when she runs back to Mr. Potter, has just snuck out of the party my son has thrown for her to share a private moment with Mr. Potter, who was explicitly told to not come, and was sharing an intimate hug with Mr. Potter when I entered the hall." She gave her a frosty stare and then added, "Did I miss anything?"

"Yes, you did. You missed the part where I told him that we were only friends and where he told me that he would not bother me and Draco anymore."

"Ginevra, it is not that I dislike you; it is that I do not trust you. Draco has loved you for many years, and it has always been me that he has come to each time you have broken his heart. And no matter how he can act, you and I both know he has a heart. I only want for Draco to be happy, which I can recognize that he is with you, but I never know when you're going to leave him again, and that is something I cannot forgive. I need to know now if you are truly committed to my son."

"Narcissa, I promise you that I love Draco, and only Draco. I cannot make you trust me, but I understand why you feel the way you do. I'm _not_ confused about Harry and _will not_ be running back to him. Harry has been a friend to me since I was eleven, and as you know, we were engaged at one point. It's not so simple for me to just write him off, and that's exactly what I've done, for your son. I've kept him away from my family, _his family_, in order to make it easier for Draco. It's time that we all move forward. Even Lucius has been more accepting of us."

"Lucius owes you for his involvement in your past, and he is glad to encourage your being together as a way to make amends. It also doesn't hurt the family name to be linked with yours. I personally think that Draco has improved the Malfoy name on his own, and _I _don't owe you anything. ... Are you going to tell Draco about Mr. Potter's appearance or am I?"

"Yes. In fact, we can go tell him together. I have nothing to hide."

Upon re-entering the party, Ginny sent Ron a deadly glare and walked straight over to Draco, Narcissa following closely behind. She tapped his shoulder and felt her heartstrings pull as he turned and she discovered a sleeping Rose in his arms. She could feel Narcissa standing to her right, and was surprised when the older witch interrupted her confession and began talking about the party. At that moment she realized two things: Narcissa truly loved her son, as much as her own mother loved her, and Draco really did deserve better than her.

x

Ginny's internship at the Potions Research Institute of St. Mungo's, or PRISM, was challenging and exciting; everything she had hoped it would be, minus the pay she had grown accustomed to getting as a professional Quidditch player. Draco had assured her that it was not a problem for her to not be contributing to their expenses since he made excellent money and still had an obscenely large inheritance coming his way. She loved working with the research team and was finally grateful for being in the Slug Club, as her association with Professor Slughorn had opened the door for this opportunity. She was one of three interns in the program, and the oldest by many years. They were all competing for the potential job opening in the same lab. She knew that she would be able to find other work, since being a celebrity did have its rewards, but she loved working at St. Mungo's and wanted to stay in London.

By October, Ginny's fellow interns were driving her crazy. The younger two had dated at Hogwarts and evidently found the lab a very romantic place to be. Not only were they often sneaking off together during the day, but they also were constantly touching each other and giving each other little kisses. It thoroughly disgusted Ginny, mostly because it caused extra work for her. She was regularly catching their mistakes and preventing them from destroying the projects with their distracted efforts in the lab. She felt a lot of pressure from her superiors, as she was already seen as the older, more responsible intern. On the other hand, some of the potions masters didn't think she was serious about her work because of her Quidditch career.

Ginny entered the flat very late one night, covered in what appeared to be a bright blue vomit. She stumbled up the stairs and into the bedroom, stripping down and giving Draco, who was reading in bed, a piteous look.

Draco glanced up from his book and then quickly back up again. "How was PRISM – "

"You mean _prison_? Why am I doing this again? I thought that I'd love it, and oh, I do love the actual work, but I can't keep covering for those two idiots. Look at ME! I am covered in some unknown potion. I'm not even sure what it is, and I spent the last _four hours_ trying to figure out what they did."

He dropped the book and crossed over to her, holding her distantly from his body. "You are doing this because you love potions, and you will be a brilliant potions researcher. And you're completely correct about covering for them, you need to stop. Let them fail on their own, Ginny. You're not their mother." He steered her towards the loo, and turned on the shower. "In you go."

After a long shower, Ginny returned to the bedroom to find Potty waiting for her with a tray of hot cocoa and some of her favourite biscuits. Draco was still reading as she climbed into bed, leaned over, and kissed his cheek.

x

Ron and Hermione's anniversary was in November, and they had asked for Molly and Arthur to keep Rose for the weekend. Unfortunately, Molly was very sick with flu, something that rarely happened, and Hermione refused to allow Rose to be in the Burrow whilst she was sick. When Ginny had dropped by to pick up some things, she found Hermione and Ron in the midst of an argument about whether or not to leave Rose. Upon seeing Ginny, Hermione immediately thrust Rose into her arms and handed her the bag of nappies, clothes, and other baby items. Ginny looked at her friend in confusion as Hermione proceeded to pull out a lengthy parchment and rattled off the many and varied instructions for taking care of the little girl. Ron grumbled loudly and appeared be having an internal battle, torn between handing over his only child to stay with Draco and having an entire weekend of uninterrupted sex with his wife. Before Ginny or Molly could intervene, Hermione grabbed Ron roughly and ushered him into the Floo. (Apparently, quality time with Ron was much needed.) She called out one last instruction to Ginny and quickly disappeared into the green flames.

Draco entered the flat calling out, "Hey love, I'm going to change and then _we_ are going out!" He quickly headed to the stairs before turning around and slowly walking back to the dining room and over to Ginny, who was feeding Rose. "Or not. Did something happen to your brother? I wasn't aware that Rose was allowed in my home."

As soon as he had entered, Rose had begun squirming in her seat, wanting to get down and run over to her favourite "uncle". Ginny gave up with the little girl's dinner and let her down. "It's Ron and Hermione's anniversary, and Mum is sick so we get Rose for the weekend."

Rose had toddled over to Draco and lifted her arms to him, wanting to be picked up. She chirped, "Dwaco! Up! Up! Up!"

Draco bent over and picked up the little girl, kissing her cheek, and said, "Hello, Rose. Are you going to finish eating for Auntie Ginny?" She shook her head no and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smirked at Ginny, and then sat down at the table, pulling the abandoned plate over to him. "How about for me? Will you eat some more for me?"

She smiled sweetly at him and opened her mouth, waiting for him to feed her.

Ginny rolled her eyes, and leaned her head on her hand, "What is it with you and Weasley women? You really do know how to get us to do about anything. And she can feed herself, Draco."

"Auntie Ginny is in a bad mood, isn't she Rose? She has had a _bad_ week. A terrible man made a _big_ mess at her work. Maybe she should just go to bed, and we can play with your toys." He fed another bite of food to the toddler, and looked over at Ginny. "I'm good with _all_ women. But I'm interested in this idea of getting you to do whatever I want. Shall we play that game later tonight?"

"No, we will _not_ be playing that game tonight, not with her down the hall."

"Ginny, what do you think we will do when we have children? Stop after the first one? Your parents clearly did not have a problem with that."

"More than one? Let's just worry about getting me through this internship and then a job before we start having a family. I swear, I don't know how Stephen Ackerley got into PRISM. That was the third explosion in the last month, and the fumes were awful this time."

"Yes, yes. I know. Now did you want me to kill him or shall I have my father do it? He seems to be getting soft these days, and he could use the exercise."

"You're so funny, Uncle Dwaco. Isn't he funny, my little Rosebud?" She tickled her niece's tummy and laughed at her cute little giggles.

x

After finding out that Blaise and Luna were expecting their first child, Draco began considering marriage again. He had purposely avoided even thinking about it after Ginny had moved in. She never talked about it, and he had decided to let her bring it up first. But spending the weekend with Rose, and watching her a few more times, with and even once without Ginny, made him realize that he wanted a family; therefore, it was time to ask her again. Draco knew that this would be the one, the time that he would propose to Ginny and she would say yes. Their relationship was better than it had ever been. They were actually living the life he had envisioned several years ago when she had crashed back into his life for those few weeks. He thought back to that night, a year and a half ago, when he had stupidly asked her out of fear and with Astoria's ring. He decided to make _this_ proposal the perfect one. It would be romantic, filled with love, and prove to her once and for all that they should be together, forever.

So as the holidays drew closer, he put his plan into action. Telling Ginny that there was an important Christmas party to attend for his department was the first step. Then he contacted his parents and asked his mother for her mother's ring. He was prepared to argue with her and explain how this would be important to show Ginny that she would become a part of the family. Surprisingly, Narcissa agreed that it was a lovely gesture, and she would go immediately to the vault to retrieve the ring. Watching her leave the room with his mouth open, his father brought him back to reality with a comment on using charms to keep his future grandchildren's hair blond.

Arriving at the Burrow, ring in pocket, Draco was anxious to speak with Ginny's parents and officially ask for her hand in marriage. Arthur and Molly sat with him at the kitchen table giving each other knowing glances as Draco began his speech. "I am sure you know why I'm here. I'd like to ask Ginny to marry me, again. I love your daughter more than I ever thought I would be able to love anyone. I assume that you did not expect this to last, but I want you to know that I've been committed to your daughter for years. In truth, I've been in love with her since school. As you know, there was a time during the war that we were … friends. I fell in love with her then, and I never really did fall out. Every day, I'm grateful that she found her way back to me. And it would mean a lot for me to have your blessing, because I plan on spending the rest of my life with her."

Molly smiled warmly at Draco and then looked to Arthur who replied, "Draco, you have taught this entire family a lesson in forgiveness, and for that I'm glad to have known you. The way you have loved my little girl, though, has made me respect you. Ginny has not made this easy for you, and I know that the two of you have had your ups and downs over the years, but I'm glad that she has finally found some happiness. For years, I wasn't sure what she was doing, but ever since she has been with you, she has become more herself than I had seen in a long time. You have our full blessing, and I welcome you to the family."

x

One day in December, after having tea with a radiant Luna, Ginny was thinking about babies (something that had been happening each time she was around Rose), and realized that she had forgotten to take her Contraception Potion the month before. Suddenly, she started to panic. Draco had not once mentioned marriage since she had moved in with him, but he did talk freely about their future. She knew he wanted children, but she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She had never considered having a baby before she was married. Her family would be outraged, and she feared it would be another reason for Draco to never be fully accepted. She looked down at her flat stomach and sighed. It was the first time she had ever thought that she could be pregnant. And whilst she was afraid of what this could mean for her relationship, she was surprised to realize that a part of her was excited at the possibility.

Gathering her courage, she performed the Pregnancy Charm. She was confused when it did not give her a conclusive answer, and thinking that maybe it was too soon and a little afraid that there could be something wrong, she made an appointment with a Healer. She decided to not tell Draco until it was confirmed and she knew for sure that everything was okay. Working at the hospital made it very easy for her to see a Healer, and she was able to make her appointment for the next day. By the time she sat on the table in the exam room, her nerves were raw, but she knew without a doubt that she wanted this baby. Never did she once imagine that the Healer would have anything to tell her other than congratulations. She was already thinking of how she was going to tell Draco when the Healer came back into the room and, with a too kind voice, informed her that she would probably never be able to have children. Her preliminary results showed that her hormones were off. It was as if her body seemed to think that she was already pregnant and would not allow her to conceive. The Healer had urged her to see a specialist, but Ginny could not bear to stay at the hospital any longer. By the time she arrived at the flat, she was in tears and felt sick with grief. She was a Weasley; this should have been no problem for her. She cried herself to sleep as she lay in their large bed. She couldn't even begin to imagine telling Draco that she would never be able to give him the child that he so clearly wanted.

Draco arrived at home and noticed Ginny's things strewn about the floor. He wandered up the stairs, where he found her asleep in the bed with tear tracks on her cheeks. Sitting down next to her, he gently rubbed her shoulder until she opened her eyes.

"Hey, love. Are you okay? You look like you've been crying." He smiled warmly and stroked her cheek.

"Um, yeah. I just had a rough day at work. I'm okay. Let me get cleaned up and then I will make dinner." She sat up and tried to get out of the bed, but he stopped her and gave her a questioning look. "Really, Draco, I'm fine." She squeezed his shoulder and headed into the loo to take a shower.

"Take your time. I'll get dinner," he called into the loo before heading back downstairs.

Ginny sat on the floor of the shower, fresh tears mixing with the water pouring over her shaking body. How could she tell him? She knew he would never leave her, but he also would never be able to have the family he wanted. And what about an heir? Draco rarely mentioned this, but she knew it was an important part of being a Malfoy. She could feel her old fears creeping up her throat, choking her sobs. She felt suffocated with the realization that she finally had actual proof that she was not good enough for him. Pulling herself back to her feet, she decided to let him have the weekend before she gave him the news. After all, the next evening was an important night for him, and she didn't want to ruin that.

Ginny somehow held herself together for the rest of the evening and distracted herself with a shopping trip the next day. When she arrived at the fancy restaurant where the Christmas party was being held, she clung to Draco's arm and mentally prepared herself for a night of mingling with his co-workers. As they headed for the private room of the party, Draco steered Ginny towards the patio. She looked at him questioningly, and he gave her a soft kiss. She noticed that the patio had been charmed to stay warm and was lit with many fairy lights. They had a spectacular view of the city. Once they were outside, Draco wrapped his arms around her and kissed her slowly. He smiled warmly into her eyes, and she felt the emotions that she had so carefully locked away begin to break free. She shifted her gaze back out onto the city, trying to reign in her tears, when she felt him pull away from her.

Draco stepped back and reached for the ring in his waistcoat pocket. He gently brushed her cheek to get her attention and holding the ring firmly in his hand, he began, "I have loved you as long as I can remember. You taught me to view the unknown as an adventure, never hesitated to put me in my place, made me – make me - want to be a better man. I want to share my life with you. I can't wait to have children with you. I look forward to watching you excel in your new career. I want to show you the world. I don't even care about getting old, because I'll be with you. I love you more than I can ever express. Ginevra, I am asking not out of fear or foolish pride, but only out of the depths of my unending love for you. Will you please make me the happiest man, wizard or Muggle, and do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

"Oh, Draco." Ginny had burst into tears halfway through his proposal, and impulsively, she kissed him when he finished. She wiped her cheeks as her mind began racing. He was perfect, and she would never be enough for him. She looked back into the restaurant, and blurted out, "Is there even a party tonight?"

He chuckled at her, misinterpreting her cries as tears of joy. "Of course, love. Everyone is waiting for us. It's our engagement party." He took her hand and started to slip the ring onto her finger.

She stopped him, saying, "Everyone? As in our friends and families?"

"Yes, Ginny." He paused and looked into her eyes. He was starting to feel nervous as he realized she had never actually said yes. Cautiously he added, "We can leave if you want."

"Okay, I think I want to leave."

She started to hyperventilate and her tears were streaking down her cheeks. She pulled her hand away from him and started walking around the patio. She kept hearing the Healer's devastating words from the day before and then she heard Draco's words about having children.

_Someday when we have kids, our parents will have to get along. … Our children will _not_ be Hufflepuffs, Ginevra. … I really like the Black tradition of naming children, would you be okay with that? … My father would be mortified to have grandchildren with red hair, but I think it would be great to have a little girl that looks just like you. … I can't wait to have children with you. I can't wait to have children with you. I can't wait to have children with you._

Suddenly, she looked up at Draco who was looking at her in total bewilderment, and sobbed, "I'm so sorry." She took off running out of the restaurant, and Draco sank to his knees.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for taking the time to read. Now please take the time to review. Your words of encouragement or constructive criticism are very valuable to me.

I struggled so much with this chapter. I'm still afraid of it, or at least to post it. I'm starting to worry that the conclusion will be disappointing. This will be my first finished fic, since _The Safe House_ is so much longer.


	7. The Finale

**A/N:** Thanks for reading my fic! I hope you enjoy this last chapter. And even though it's been completed, please let me know your thoughts!

**Update:** I just want to say thank you to those of you who have actually read all six chapters leading up to this one. This fic is getting new readers all the time! Yay! But I am noticing a small trend in readers skipping over the tough chapters. So kudos to those of you who stuck through to the end. And to those of you who just had to skip ahead, I get it. It's kind of painful to watch them messing it up over and over again.

And so it is ...

* * *

**Marry Me**

**The Finale**

* * *

Draco was still sitting on his knees when Ron found him on the patio. His eyes were red and puffy, and he looked completely lost. Ron called for Blaise and told him to make an excuse to the party guests. For several weeks, the Slytherin had made a valiant effort to befriend his childhood rival. Ron had submitted to letting Draco into his home on a few occasions, and after a heated argument with Hermione, he had allowed Rose to spend more time with the man who clearly planned on becoming her new uncle. Draco had even met with Ron for lunch to tell him that he had asked the Weasleys for their blessing. He wasn't asking Ron for permission, but he _was_ asking for a truce. As much as Ron hated to admit it, he had grown to respect the other wizard, and he was actually very happy that Ginny would be so well taken care of.

Ron sat on the ground next to Draco and sighed.

The minutes ticked by in silence before Draco gruffly said, "I can't deal with my parents right now. May I go to your place?"

The redhead wizard stood up and offered his hand. "Yeah, let's go."

x

When Ginny fled the restaurant, all she could think was that she had nowhere to go. All of her family and friends were waiting at the party that would never be. Suddenly, she realized that there was one person who would not be there, and before she could talk herself out of the bad decision, she Apparated to Grimmauld Place.

Harry heard the sound of someone Apparating into his house and jumped up from the sofa. Only a few people were included in his wards on the house, and they were all at Ginny's damned engagement party. He was very curious who would have left the blasted party, and hoped that maybe Ron had decided to come and cheer him up. When he turned into the hall and saw Ginny collapsed on the floor, he abruptly stopped walking, shocked at the sight of her crumpled figure. Quickly, his need to protect her pushed him into action, and he ran to her and picked her up, holding her close to his body. He carried her back into the sitting room and gently laid her on the sofa. She was softly crying and seemed to be in a daze, and yet he couldn't help but feel a flood of relief at seeing her return to him. He sat down at her feet and watched her, waiting for her to speak.

Finally, she looked up at him, but began vigorously shaking her head and covering her face again with her hands. "I'm a terrible person. I don't deserve to have children. I would just ruin them, like I did him. Please, just kill me, Harry. No one would blame you. You could say I was an intruder. Everyone loves you, even I loved you. But I don't anymore. I love _him_. I love him _so much_. I think I've always known that it was him." She sobbed loudly and curled into herself. "Oh Merlin, I just want to die. Please, Harry. Please, just help me disappear. I can't deal with this. I have done the most cruel thing to him. Please." She broke down again and started wailing.

Harry sat staring at the desperate woman, begging him to end her life. He didn't know what to make of her state of mind. "Gin, stop it. You are not going to die, and I am not going to help you go away. Look at me!" He pulled her up and took her face in his hands. "You are **not** a terrible person; whatever has happened is for the best. Trust me. You _don't_ have to be with him. Malfoy will not be ruined, and neither will you."

She bawled louder and began rocking herself. Harry started to worry about what she was going to do, and doing the only thing he could think of, commanded, "Stupefy."

Ginny relaxed into his arms as her body went limp. He held her for a while, replaying her words in his mind. After several more minutes of watching her sleep, he cradled her to his chest and carried her up the stairs. Finally, he decided to owl Ron and let him know what was happening.

x

Early the next morning, Charlie arrived at Ron's house to check on Draco. Hermione had taken Rose to her parents for the night, and Draco had collapsed in the guest room. He had not yet emerged from the bedroom when Charlie sat down at the breakfast table with his brother.

Unlike the rest of her family, Charlie had been one hundred percent in support of Ginny's relationship with Draco from the very beginning. Whilst the rest had accepted his addition to their lives with the hopes that she would one day go back to Harry, Charlie was relieved to see Ginny moving on from his honorary brother. He had been the one family member in whom she would confide when things were bad during her former long-term relationship. He was the only one who knew that Harry had cheated on her more than the one time that led to the end of their engagement. He also knew that Harry had pressured her to quit playing Quidditch. He had seen the way she was disappearing whilst she was with him. Although he hated the way she protected him from her family's judgment, he had understood because he also cared about Harry.

Before Ginny had begun her internship, Draco had brought her to Romania to have a long-overdue visit with her brother. Although Charlie had befriended the younger wizard before, they became much closer during that vacation. He also really enjoyed spending time with the happy couple; they seemed more themselves than they had been around the rest of the family. He could see how much Draco loved his sister, and even more importantly, Ginny was more content than he had ever seen her.

Ron reached into his pocket and handed Harry's letter to his older brother. Charlie quickly perused it, and Ron shook his head as he spoke. "Came last night, thankfully after he had gone upstairs. He said she didn't give a reason, just cried 'I'm sorry' and left. That's all he would say. And now … she's at Harry's." Guilt flashed across his face as he asked, "Do you think she's having an affair?"

Charlie responded rather angrily, "No, I think that she thought she had no other place to go." And then looking away, he muttered, "Dammit, Ginny. Why didn't you go to the Burrow? Harry is the last person you should be with right now." He glared at Ron, and his voice took on a mimicking quality as he read the letter. "She's with me. She's fine, sleeping. Will contact you tomorrow." He crumpled up the parchment. "What an arrogant arse! You better get Draco out of here before Harry shows up. In fact, I'll do it; I don't want to see him, either."

"What's going on with you and Harry?"

"He manipulates her. I don't even think he means to do it, but it's exactly what he does. She doesn't think very clearly around him, and she's vulnerable right now. I'm afraid that after last night, she'll have done far worse than running away from Draco's proposal. Let's just hope that's not the case. I don't understand it, this hold he has over her. Harry doesn't even deserve her friendship, yet he somehow convinces her to stay in touch with him. He cheated on her before their engagement, you know. It wasn't just once either."

"What? Why didn't she tell me?"

"As far as I know, she never told anyone but me, and maybe Mum. Most likely Draco knows more than I do. Look, I'm the safe brother, removed from everyone else. You couldn't see it because you're too close – to both of them. I know he's your friend. But every time I came home, I could see her fading away. Harry still loves her, Ron. And he's going to convince her that she did the right thing."

Ron gave him a determined look and replied, "Go deal with Draco, I'm going to get Ginny."

Ron Floo'd into Grimmauld Place and shouted for Harry. He immediately began storming through the house looking for Ginny. Harry came out of his bedroom and walked straight into Ron's fist.

"That's for cheating on my sister! And for keeping her here when she should have been with family! Now, get up and take me to her, and she better not be in your room! …. Sorry about hitting you."

Rubbing his jaw, Harry scowled at Ron. "Yeah, sure. She's in there." He pointed to the room next door. "She was hysterical, Ron. I didn't even really talk to her. I actually had to Stupefy her."

Ron frowned as he considered what Harry had said, deliberated hitting him again for hexing her, and then he walked into the other bedroom. He crept over to Ginny and then sat next to her, quietly saying, "Rennervate." He waited for her to stir and started stroking her arm.

Ginny slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Ron. "What have I done? I need to see Draco. Where is he?"

"He's at my house. I will take you to him after you talk to me." He looked back at Harry. "You can leave now." Harry nodded and left, shutting the door behind him. "Okay, Ginbug, I need to know that you're okay. What's going on?"

She sat up and hugged Ron to her, crying into his shoulder. "He deserves better than me, Ron. He can't marry me."

"He deserves a lot of things, Ginny, but he does **not** deserve better than **you**. _You_ are amazing. Draco is the lucky one, and he knows it. He loves you, really loves you. And I am so glad that you're with a man who treats you like you deserve." He held her away from him to look into her eyes. "Now, why do you think you aren't worth more? Is it because of Harry? What he did to you? Charlie just told me … I wish I'd known what really happened between the two of you."

Ginny fell back in the bed and shook her head, her face crumpling in anguish. "No, yes, I don't even know anymore. …Ron, something happened. I can't even say it!" She cried for a few minutes before sitting up and taking a deep breath. "Ron, I can't … I can't, I can't have children. I just found out the other day. I haven't even told Draco. He wants a family so badly. How could I do that to him?"

"Oh, Ginny. Oh, I am _so_ sorry, Ginny." He hugged her tightly and began stroking her hair. "He won't care. I promise he won't. He loves you. I know he would _never_ think that was a reason to leave you. I couldn't imagine leaving Hermione over that, and I know he would feel the same way. You _have_ to tell him, Ginny. He needs to know the truth. You are both hurting right now, and you should be leaning on each other, not running from each other."

"When did you get so wise?" She sniffed and then she wiped her eyes.

"Well, I've been living with Hermione for years. A little was bound to rub off at some point." He pulled back and smiled down at her. "Love you."

"Love you. Thank you, Ron. Please take me to him."

Charlie had convinced Draco to eat some food and take a shower. He was hoping that by the time he emerged from the loo, Ron would have returned with Ginny. Draco had refused to talk about what had happened, but when he asked Charlie where Ron had gone, he gave a hollow sort of laugh and answered his own question.

"Oh, of course. We all know where she ran to, or rather _who_ she ran to. Don't worry, mate, I'm not up to killing anyone today. I'll need to save my strength for when my parents find me. You know my mum barely tolerates her? Doesn't trust her. That's almost funny if you think about it. All these years that I've pleaded with Mum to give Ginny a chance." He stood still for a moment, lost in thought. Then, as if someone had surprised him, he jolted into movement and headed towards the Floo. "Charlie, tell her that I'm not ready to hear her excuses. I … I'm not sure where I'm going."

x

It was a week before Draco returned to the flat. He had been staying with Blaise and Luna, and he had not had any correspondence with Ginny. Luna had checked on her friend throughout the week and had given Draco updates on Ginny's whereabouts. Ginny had stayed at the Burrow for several days after discovering that Draco did not want to see her. Ron remained the only one who knew her real reason for her leaving Draco that night. She had made him swear to not even tell Hermione, thinking that Draco had the right to know first. She also felt that she deserved the disappointed looks and sometimes-blatant criticism from her family. Charlie had returned to Romania, but not before sitting her down and warning her to stay away from Harry until she had spoken with Draco. She could tell that he was very concerned about her, and she also knew he had reason to not trust Harry. When Harry did show up, smiling warmly and leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom door, she knew she needed to go home. She immediately volunteered to work extra hours in the lab to keep herself as busy as possible whilst she waited for Draco to return.

Draco stepped out of the Floo and stopped in the sitting room. He listened for movement, and then sighed heavily as he sat down on the sofa. He had no idea what he wanted to say to Ginny. He felt that he would at least hear her out before making any further decisions. Before long, the Floo lit up, and a very tired-looking Ginny stumbled out. She looked into his eyes and started crying. She slowly crossed over to him and dropped to her knees in front of him.

After pulling herself together, she pleaded, "Please just let me explain before you say anything." He nodded his head and resisted the urge to wipe away her tears. "Thank you. Draco, I love you so much. I know you know that I was with Harry, but I swear that nothing happened. He had to Stupefy me; I was so upset." She noticed that his eyes had darkened at her confession and his body had tensed. "I was upset because I was so ashamed of the way I reacted. I _am_ so ashamed. Draco, I'm sorry. I … I need to tell you something." She started to touch his leg, but stopped herself in fear that he would reject her. She looked down and took several deep breaths. "I went to a Healer last week. I … I." She started crying again and dropped her head. She was surprised when she felt him join her on the floor and grab her shoulders.

His eyes were filled with fear, and he sounded choked as he asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Ginny, oh Merlin, what did they tell you?"

"They said I probably … they said I can't have children!" She fell into his arms and continued to weep. He held on to her tightly and felt their tears blending on his cheeks. "Draco, you want children so much. And I can't give you that."

"I don't care. It doesn't matter, Ginny. It doesn't matter." He kissed her head as he pulled her onto his lap. Together they wept over the terrible news and over the pain they had both been feeling in their separation.

x

The holidays were a mixture of happiness and sadness for the couple. Ginny had refused to discuss their being engaged any further. She made a deal with Draco that if he thought seriously about not having his own child and still wanted to marry her, then they could talk about it again. She wanted him to wait until Blaise and Luna's baby arrived, thinking that holding his best mate's newborn baby would persuade him to want more than she could give him. Ultimately, she still believed that Draco would be better without her. He reluctantly agreed to her plan, adding that she would not have any more contact with Potter. In fact, he took comfort in the idea that by the summer they would finally be planning a wedding, as he had no intentions of ever leaving her. Draco urged her to return to the Healer, but she wasn't ready to deal with it. They agreed to not tell any one about Ginny's diagnosis until after the holidays were over. The Weasleys were greatly relieved to see Draco with Ginny again, and hoped that the couple would be able to work things out in the long run. The Malfoys did not know what to think. (Well, Narcissa did. She thought many colourful things about her son's girlfriend.) Even Lucius had finally agreed with his wife that Ginny should not be trusted. Draco had purposely avoided his mother after the failed proposal, but he could not bring himself to miss Christmas dinner with his family. After much pleading from Draco, Ginny had very grudgingly consented to join him.

Arriving at the Manor two nights before Christmas, they never expected it to be filled with people. Evidently, in an attempt to avoid much direct interaction with the younger couple, Narcissa had invited everyone she knew to the Christmas celebration. Normally, this would have been a relief to Ginny, but knowing that she was driving a wedge between Draco and his family was making her more convinced than ever that he should find someone else with whom to settle down.

Draco pulled his mother into the hall, away from the party, his face set in anger. "I know you love me, Mum, and that you think you are protecting me. But you're only making a very difficult situation that much harder for me to get through."

"Some day when you have your own children, you will understand why I cannot accept Ginevra. She has hurt you too many times." She studied his face for a moment. "What did I say, Draco? You are my child, and I cannot stand by and watch her hurt you. I can see the pain in your eyes right now, don't try to deny it – "

"Mother. Just stop. I will tell you what is wrong. Ginny may not be able to have children. And in an epic example of bad timing, I proposed the day after she found out. She was devastated, and she believes that I should move on and marry someone who will give me an heir."

Narcissa turned white at his revelation. Suddenly, she reached forward and hugged her son. "Oh darling, please forgive me. You must be under so much stress, and Ginevra must be shattered."

"Mum, please do not say anything to her. We planned on telling everyone after the holidays. She has this crazy idea that I will wake up one day and think that she is right, that I will want to find someone new."

"Of course." She gave him another squeeze and then headed back to the party.

x

A few weeks later, Draco and Ginny met with his parents. Ginny had wanted Draco to go alone, but he insisted that she accompany him. He didn't reveal that his mother already knew what they were going to say, but he knew his mother would be understanding. It was important to him that the two women truly make up, and Draco felt that Ginny would need to see firsthand Narcissa's reaction in order for their relationship to begin healing. They arrived for a Sunday brunch, and Draco insisted that they have their discussion before eating. After a very uncomfortable conversation explaining Ginny's recent behaviour, Narcissa shocked the younger witch with a warm embrace. After the two shared a few tears, Draco looked to his father. He wasn't sure what to expect from the traditional wizard who had drilled the importance of having an heir into Draco's mind as long as he could remember. Lucius watched the scene in front of him quietly and after meeting eyes with his wife, he sighed in relief and simply said, "Welcome back, Ginevra."

Ginny went alone to tell her parents about what the Healer had told her, mostly because she had hoped to be getting their support in trying to convince Draco to leave her. When she shared her heart-breaking news with them, Molly broke down in tears and Arthur tried to soothe his little girl. When she told them her plan to make Draco realize that he was better off without her, they both immediately went silent.

Finally, Arthur walked over to his daughter and stood her up. He hugged her for a long time and then said, "Ginevra, I apologize for not being a better father to you in the past. I let you act as if nothing had happened during your first year in school. I wanted so much for you to be happy with Harry, that I pretended it was true. I didn't interfere when you started dating many questionable wizards. Once your mother explained to me that Draco had been a part of your life much longer than I'd realized, I didn't even object to you bringing the son of Lucius Malfoy into our home and our lives. That time I was lucky because he _is_ a good man. And _I'm_ going to be a good father to you right now. I will not let you make the biggest mistake of your life."

"Daddy, please, you don't understand – "

Molly joined her husband and embraced her daughter from behind. "Ginny, dearest, we love you. And you need to listen to your father. He's right."

"Mum, I don't know what's wrong with me."

Arthur cupped her face and firmly said, "There's _nothing_ wrong with you."

By the end of March, Ginny was feeling the best she had felt in years. Her talk with her parents had forced her to start dealing with some issues from which she had long been running. She even started meeting regularly with a counsellor to discuss her fears of rejection and lack of self-worth. It had been long overdue. She had never realized how much she was still holding onto from Harry, but she was surprised when she discovered how much she had repressed from the war and from the diary. Finally, she was facing her deepest fears, tearing them apart one by one and understanding herself in a way she never had before. She had not been back to see the specialist, however, because she wanted to work out her feelings and insecurities without any further complications. And with a clear mind and a happy heart, she began to face the situation of her relationship with Draco.

x

Late one afternoon in the beginning of May, Draco had left the office to meet with Blaise for a late lunch. He was waiting at their usual table when Blaise came rushing in. He looked up at his oldest friend and smiled, but Blaise did not return the gesture. Lifting his eyebrows in question, Draco waited as Blaise sat down and continued to be distracted.

"Well, mate, since you're not paying attention, I will just ask. What has preoccupied that simple mind of yours?" Draco smirked and then frowned as Blaise anxiously rubbed his forehead. "Luna and the baby are okay?"

Blaise looked up at the sound of his wife's name. "Yeah, yeah, they're fine. I can't believe she's due in a few weeks. But, um, it's just that, well, um … everything is going well with Ginny, right?"

"Other than her refusing to go back to the Healer and her normally erratic behaviour, yeah, why?"

Blaise stared down at the table and sputtered, "Luna made me promise to not say anything, but I think you need to know that she's been seeing Potter." He finally made eye contact with Draco and noticed his friend's face flushing with anger. "I overheard her talking with Luna last week about seeing him. I didn't hear anything else, and Luna swore nothing was happening, but I just saw her on my way here. With Potter. Having coffee in Muggle London."

"And what did she say?"

"She didn't see me, and I didn't stick around to watch. It looked completely harmless, but I don't know. I thought that she wasn't going to see him again?"

"So she said. It was part of the agreement to this ridiculous plan of hers." Draco sat still for a moment. He regained his composure, and then suddenly he stood from his chair. "I must apologize, but I need to get back to work. Rain check?"

"Draco, come on, mate. Don't overreact, she probably was just talking about Weasley family things." Draco set his mouth in a thin line and gave a curt nod before leaving the table. Fearing his wife's wrath for betraying his promise, Blaise decided to let his friends deal with this on their own. "Don't tell her I told you!"

When Draco left the restaurant, he went straight back to work, his appetite gone. He worked late and didn't bother to owl Ginny to tell her. He was sitting at his desk, staring at the wall, when her head poked through his private Floo.

"Is everything okay? I have dinner waiting for you, and I kind of had something planned for tonight." She smiled brightly at him.

He mumbled under his breath, "I'm sure you do." And then to her, "I'm just finishing up, be right there." He watched her disappear and then looked at the picture of them on his desk. Before he could stop himself, he hurled it across the room. He thought that watching it shatter would relieve some of his fury, but it only fuelled it, and enflamed with anger, he Floo'd home.

As soon as he entered the flat, he noticed the candle-lit table. He thought that she must have known she was caught, and before she could say a word, he coldly looked at her and said, "I'm not staying. I ran into an old friend today, and she wanted to see me tonight. Since you have no problems breaking our agreement, I figured maybe you were right. Maybe I _should_ look at other witches. Don't wait up." He turned back towards the Floo.

"What are you talking about? I've not broken our agreement! What are you doing? Are you going on a date?" She sounded more hurt than he expected, but he kept himself from turning around. "Draco, please, talk to me!"

He stopped, and without facing her, replied, "Go back to Potter." As he stepped into the flames, he caught one last glimpse of her dropping to the floor, and he cursed himself for being such a bastard.

Ginny knew, the moment he mentioned Harry, that he somehow had found out she had met with him. As hurt as she was by his cutting words and swift departure, she also knew him well enough to know that he was lying about the date. After her tears had stopped, she laughed for several minutes at the irony of the situation. How many times had she walked out on him? After hours of waiting for his return, she finally made it up the stairs and collapsed onto the bed, refusing to give in to the fear that maybe he hadn't been lying after all. When she heard him return in the middle of the night, she lay awake, waiting for him to join her, but he did not. She woke early in the morning, having not slept well, and was just sitting up when he stormed into their room.

"Marry me." His eyes looked at her coldly, and for the briefest moment, she thought that she deserved a little more romance than that, until she remembered that she had had quite a bit more romance from the blond man looming in front of her. And then she felt the shame that she had thought was behind her. She knew that she had brought him to this.

"Ginevra, I mean it. Either you marry me or," he paused and brushed his hand through his dishevelled hair, "or I think we are finished."

He dropped his arm and stared into her eyes. Anyone else would have only seen the anger in those pale grey eyes, but Ginny knew him better and could also see the hurt. What she didn't see was fear, and for the first time, she realized that he was serious, that he was prepared to finally leave her. She loved Draco with all her heart, and as she held his gaze, she felt her eyes fill with tears. There he stood, this man who had loved her through everything, who had been there for her when no one else was, who had fulfilled the deepest desires of her heart. She felt like such a fool. Was she really so stupid that she would ever let go of him?

Seeing her tears, he braced himself for the final rejection. He was starting to second-guess his decision, but then he remembered that this was the _seventh_ time he had proposed to this woman. Clearly, she did not love him enough to marry him. She had accepted someone else's proposal, but never his. Maybe she had never really accepted _him_. He felt a wave of heartbreak that was all too familiar, and it strengthened his resolve to end this terrible cycle of love and rejection. He knew this was the moment. This would be the last time he would ask, and possibly the last time he would speak to Ginny.

"Yes." She stood up and crossed to him, taking his hands in hers. He looked confounded, unable to believe that she had finally answered his prayers. "Yes, Draco. I am the silliest, most stubborn witch in the world, and yet you still love me. I will marry you right now if you want."

"Are you serious?" She nodded in reply. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tilted his head down to hers. "I didn't really go anywhere last night, I just went back to work."

She leaned up and kissed him. "I didn't really break our agreement. I had to get something from Harry - _for you_."

"For me? From Potter?" He kissed her again.

"Yes, I told you I had something planned. Would you like your gift?"

"You said yes, I have everything I would ever want now. But I think you need something from me." He kissed her once more and ran over to the bedside cabinet to retrieve his grandmother's ring. "This is yours now. It was my grandmother Black's ring." He gently took her hand and placed the ring on her fourth finger. It was a large round-cut sapphire with diamonds and black opals set in gold filigree. It was stunning, and she wondered how she hadn't noticed it the first time he had tried to give it to her.

"I love it, and I love you."

"I love you." He started to lead her to the bed and began kissing her neck.

She pulled away from him. "Now for yours."

"I thought that's what I was doing." He smirked at her, and then she gave him a mischievous grin before grabbing his hand and leading him out the door and down the stairs.

Arriving at the dining room, he smiled apologetically at her when he noticed the set table and the candles that had burned all the way down.

"Draco, it's okay. We have the rest of our lives to have romantic dinners. This is what I had for you last night." She reached over to the dresser and handed him what appeared to be a medium-sized frame wrapped in Slytherin green paper. On the present was a card. "Read it first," she requested.

He plucked the card from the gift and opened it. He chuckled lightly and read, "Ask me again." He sat in the closest chair and motioned for her to sit on his lap. "You mean that you wanted me to propose again last night?"

"Yes, I had thought about proposing myself, but you deserved the honours. After all, you have asked me several times – "

"Seven times."

"Well, technically," she paused as he raised his eyebrows. "Oh fine! Seven times, and I decided you needed to hear me say yes."

She walked over to him and stood before him. She took his hand in her newly engaged hand and lifted the ring up between them, smiling. "Yes, because you protected me. Yes, because you _admired_ me even before I knew you." The both laughed softly at her choice of words.

Her smile turned serious as she continued. "Yes, because you would have risked everything for me. Yes, because you let me be me, even when it hurt you." She gently stroked his cheek and then held his gaze firmly. "Yes, because you are my first _real_ love." He nodded in understanding, and she released her held breath.

"Yes, because you are the most thoughtful and romantic man I know." She leaned forward and kissed him slowly, placing his hand over her heart.

He pulled back and smirked sweetly at her. "That's only six. I deserve one more."

She released his hand and cupped his face. "Yes, because all of these things, but mostly because I cannot imagine another day of my life without you, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you."

He pulled her onto his lap and set the gift on the table. Kissing her slowly, his mind kept replaying her beautiful words. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he couldn't remember feeling so happy. She pushed her body into his, and he immediately focused on the witch in his arms. Freedom was washing over Ginny with each touch of his hands and his lips. She finally felt truly loved, something she had never let herself feel before. Her need for him was growing stronger with each passing second, and she grabbed on to him with abandonment. Draco was ignited by her demanding kisses, and he hoisted her up onto the table, leaning into her. She pulled at his clothes, wanting to see more of him, and began unbuttoning the shirt he had never removed from the night before. As his hands worked their way underneath her flimsy nightgown, she wrapped her legs around him and felt him harden against her. Kissing her breasts caused her to mew in pleasure, and any concerns over their location were quickly pushed from Draco's mind. He quickly removed his remaining clothes, and she slipped off her knickers and gown. They gazed at each other lovingly, and he did not hesitate to join their bodies together. Eventually, he moved her further onto the table and climbed atop her, swiftly thrusting himself back into her welcoming body. Afterwards, they lay panting on the table, and Ginny rolled over, draping herself across him.

He swatted her bum, and laughed. "I can't believe we didn't break the table, but I think we lost a few dishes."

"Yes, don't walk on that side of the table until Potty has cleaned it up. Oh, Draco, your present! Where is it?"

"It's fine. I sat it on the floor before we could break it." She jumped down from the table and put on her gown before picking up the present. He pulled on his pants and slid back into a chair.

Sitting again on his lap, she handed him the gift. "Open it." She put her arm around his shoulder and leaned her head against his as he tore open the paper.

"Is this what I think it is?" He looked up at her, and she nodded. Inside the frame was the picture he had drawn so many years ago, the first day he had met Ginny.

"I've been planning this for weeks. I thought for sure I'd find the picture at the Burrow, but when I couldn't, I remembered that I'd left some books at Grimmauld Place. _That's _why I saw Harry, to ask for the books and explain what I was looking for inside of them. And to tell him that I would be marrying you."

He flashed her a wicked grin. "I bet he loved that."

She laughed softly. "That was two weeks ago. I had to keep owling him to get him to look for the books and the picture – I refused to go back over there like he suggested – "

"Bloody bastard. Trying to get you alone, was he?" He playfully nipped at her neck.

She ignored him and continued again, "He finally found it, and I saw him yesterday to get the picture." She leaned away from his ticklish kisses and pecked him sweetly on the lips.

"I'm sorry for doubting you. I love the picture. I think I'll take it to work; I might have broken a few things last night." He gave her a sheepish look before kissing her again.

She held his gaze, and he could see that her eyes were quickly glistening with unshed tears. Carefully she said, "I think it would look better in the baby's room."

His eyes widened and he stared at her, open-mouthed. Finally, he found his voice. "Baby's room?"

She nodded her head quickly and then embraced him with both arms. "I'm pregnant."

He laughed and cried as he held her to him, kissing her lips, her eyes, her nose. "How?"

"Well, besides the obvious?" She grinned. "I've been working on a blood sample in the lab for weeks to identify an unknown substance causing infertility in a patient. I discovered that the patient should be fine once the toxins had left her system. It wasn't until I filed my findings that I realized the date on the paperwork matched the date I had seen the Healer. It must be from the explosion that time. And I haven't taken the Contraceptive Potion since October. Oh, Draco, if only I had gone to see the specialist like you asked."

"Ginevra, it's fine. We're fine, we're better than fine. We're perfect." His smile stretched from ear to ear as he placed his hand on her tummy.

"I just found out this week. I never even considered that I might be pregnant. I just wanted to know if I was clear of the effects of the potions." She placed her hand on top of his. "You'll be a daddy by the end of January."

"I love you." His eyes were filled with so much love for her that she felt herself tear up again.

Finally, they were going to be happy. It had been a long journey, but it was worth every moment of heartache to get to where they were. Whilst Ginny had been the one to put them on hold many times, Draco had made his own mistakes along the way. They knew that it wasn't the end of their problems, but they would always face whatever life had in store for them together. And that was all they needed.

After sitting quietly, enjoying the love they felt for one another and for their unborn child, Draco looked again at the picture lying on the table next to him. "I don't remember writing that." He scrunched his brows in confusion.

"You didn't. When I got home that day, I had my dad help me. _I_ wrote it."

Together they held up the framed picture of the flying dragon with three words scrawled above it in a childish handwriting, _Draco and Ginny_.

* * *

**A/N:** First Completed Fic! Yay!

Thank you all so much for reading and a big happy-dance thank you for those who have taken the time to review. Seriously, I have been getting so many new readers since it has been finished and many favourites, but not a lot of new reviews. I'm still here and I love getting more reviews, so don't be shy! And I always reply so you will be hearing from me directly. :)

I debated so much on this ending. But after all the heartache, I just couldn't resist giving them everything. I know it's fluffy, but I think they (and we) deserve it.

A huge thanks goes to **Nothingcompares2u. **She not only declared herself the biggest fan of this fic, but she earned the title by giving me so much great feedback and encouragement. She even pre-read this chapter for me and gave me the confidence to post it. Thank you!

Again, thanks to **Selena** for being an awesome beta, especially because she does not even sail this ship.


End file.
